Lance Ware continues to bring necessary juice off the bench for Kentucky

Lance Ware isn’t putting up numbers that will earn him weekly awards or national praise, but he’s always one of the first people that John Calipari is quick to praise after a game. The Kentucky head coach isn’t just floating out these words to be nice, either; he’s being truthful in his evaluation.

A 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, Ware plays a role on this Kentucky squad that is unique to the rest of his teammates. He’s not a shooter or superior athlete; not an elite rebounder or improvisational playmaker; but he plays with more constant energy and aggression than any other Wildcat. Ware isn’t afraid to talk some trash or get in the face of his opponent.

He wants you to feel his pure physical presence. When he’s on the sideline, you won’t find a more dedicated cheerleader. On or off the court, Ware isn’t easy to miss.

Ware’s role is still severely limited, but it’s slowly expanding. He played 13 solid minutes in a blowout win over North Carolina, seven key minutes in the win over Missouri, and 13 more during Tuesday night’s loss to LSU. Ware is typically brought into the game as a fail-safe for Oscar Tshiebwe’s foul troubles.

And while his point and rebound production doesn’t match up to that of Tshiebwe’s, Ware is keeping Kentucky’s frontcourt afloat whenever he does step onto the hardwood. He fights for rebounds, runs the floor, and plays sound defense.

His game down in Baton Rouge was no different. Ware finished with two points, three rebounds, and one steal against the Tigers, with all of that coming during his 10-minute first-half stretch in place of Tshiebwe. Kentucky trailed by four when Ware came in and trailed by five at the break.

Without Tshiebwe (and Sahvir Wheeler), Ware made his presence felt in a major way. Granted, Ware missed all four of his free throws, but the rest of the team went just 10-16 from the charity stripe, as well.

“I think Lance (Ware) is playing great basketball. Missed a bunch of free throws, but so did everybody else,” Calipari said after the game on Tuesday.

Calipari was unprompted when he brought up Ware, as he’s done multiple times in postgame press conferences this season. He did it twice after LSU, too, later referencing Ware when initially talking about Jacob Toppin’s developing maturity.

“To be confident–I don’t know if you ever really listen to what I’m saying–you cannot be confident if you’re not competent,” Calipari said. “If you’re not good with the ball and you’re not a good shooter, it’s hard to be confident. There’s one way of doing it. Get in that gym, and (Jacob Toppin has) been working it. Lance (Ware) has been working it, spending extra time. That’s why I was really surprised he missed all those free throws.“

Ware missed his free throws, but the work he’s been putting in is obvious from the outside looking in. He’s played in four of the last five games for Kentucky (not playing against Western Kentucky due to an unspecified minor injury) and made his mark in all of them. Ware is averaging just 2.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in barely over 10 minutes per outing, but it’s a considerable leap from the 5.4 minutes per game he was averaging in his first five appearances this season.

Let’s also not forget he went 5-6 from the free-throw line against Missouri. Chalk his 0-4 night on Tuesday up to the road environment. That being said, he has to hit at least a couple of them next time around.

As the season progresses and situations arise where spot frontcourt minutes are needed, Ware has proven he can fill in nicely. It’s not a perfect recipe by any means, but the fans can take solace in knowing that no one will outwork him. When he’s playing bursts of five to six minutes at a time, that’s exactly what UK needs from him.

Perhaps the most effusive Calipari has been of anyone this season with his praise was after the win over High Point. Ware recorded two points, five rebounds, and two blocks in eight minutes. But it was his attitude that had Calipari gleaming.

“Let me give you what happened today that may be the beginning of us changing,” Calipari said after beating High Point last week. “Do you know how Lance (Ware) played? Just thumbs up, thumbs down. How do you think Lance played today? …Okay. So he played really well. In three minutes, he had five rebounds and two blocks.

“That was at half. I walked in and when I was talking, I said, Lance, ‘I’m going to play Daimion (Collins), even though you played well because I’ve got to get him on the floor, and I want him to play.’ He gave me a thumbs up. ‘I’m good.’ Can you imagine the maturity?“

Remember, this is a former high four-star talent who came to Lexington likely expecting to pave his path to the NBA. Ware is making personal sacrifices for the betterment of the team, a rare commodity in an ego-driven society. Every good team needs someone like him to balance everything out.