SAN FRANCISCO — Kel’el Ware’s rookie season with the Miami Heat snuck up on more than a few NBA fans, insiders and casuals alike.

Bobby Portis wasn’t one of them.

“Heard about him when he was in sixth grade,” Portis said after his Milwaukee Bucks played host to Ware and the Heat late last month. “He had a lot of raw talent but at first his biggest thing was, he didn’t have a motor. He didn’t really play hard.”

Despite their age gap, Portis, 30, had an early line on the 20-year-old Ware because his younger brother Jamaal Summons played on the same AAU team as the Miami rookie. The Portises are from Little Rock, Arkansas. Ware? North Little Rock.

“I like that he’s with the Heat because obviously they’ll instill that [motor] in him,” Portis said. “He’ll work and then he’ll just keep getting better. His upside is limitless.”

Ware had to be doing some things right along the way. He helped North Little Rock High to a 70-10 record in his last three years there, won two consecutive state championships and averaged 20.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.7 blocked shots per game as a senior.

By the way, Ware’s unusual first name came straight out of the DC Comics universe. His parents Tamika and Cedrick Spaight liked the name Superman was born with — Kal-El — up on the fictional planet of Krypton. They tinkered with the spelling a bit, and here we are.

Ware, asked when he started to think about the NBA as a possibility, told NBA.com: “I’d probably say 10th grade. That’s when I first started to receive offers from schools.”

The one he chose was Oregon, where Ware ran into some tough coaching from the Ducks’ Dana Altman. At one point, addressing Ware’s lackadaisical approach, Altman said: “If he’s playing hard, that would help us. But if he’s not, that hurts us.”

The freshman averaged 15.8 mpg, 6.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg, then decided to take his talents to Bloomington, Ind., and the Big Ten. Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson — who was a former NBA player and coach — challenged Ware to rev up, warning him about the reputation he was getting.

“It’s the second effort,” Woodson said. “When we first got him, that didn’t even exist in terms of him making second and third efforts to try to go get the basketball. A lot of it was he just hadn’t been taught and pushed to do it.”

Taking fewer possessions off, Ware’s production at Indiana soared. Last season the 7-footer averaged 15.9 ppg and 9.9 rpg and 32.2 mpg on 58.6% shooting.

Yet for the first half of this season, Ware’s wares stayed hidden under a bushel. As the 15th selection in the Draft, he fell just outside the lottery. He played well in Summer League, but that guaranteed him nothing once Heat training camp opened. Only those in the practice gym knew what was happening.

“The best quality he has away from the games is, he stays in that gym,” veteran Heat big man Kevin Love said. “It is part of the culture here, but every time we’re in the gym, he’s there. He’s putting the time in, in the weight room, on the floor with [assistant coach] Malik Allen, with Bam [Adebayo], with myself. He’s facing this head-on.”

Ware won’t be participating at All-Star Weekend — his resume still needed work when the Castrol Rising Stars selections were made. Even when Philadelphia 76ers swingman Jared McCain (left knee surgery) required replacement, that slot went to the Phoenix Suns’ Ryan Dunn.

But Ware could find himself among those vying for spots on Kia Rookie of the Year or All-Rookie ballots if he maintains or elevates his recent production. Since becoming Miami’s starting center, Ware ranks sixth in scoring (11 ppg) and first in rebounds (9.9 ppg) among all first-year players. His five double-doubles since that date are the most among the rookies.

“I don’t know what the plan was,” Ware said of the short leash the Heat had for him early. “It’s basketball. I’ve been playing it my whole life and doing my whole life what I’m doing now. So I don’t think I’ve surprised myself.”

Through November, Ware played in only 10 of the Heat’s 17 games and cracked 10 minutes only twice. In December, his numbers ticked up to 6 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 13.6 mpg. By the Heat’s design or by Ware’s tangible development, the clouds parted for him in January. Ware averaged 24.7 mpg, 15 ppg and 6.9 rpg. His performance Jan. 19 against San Antonio — 25 and 8, when the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama went for 21 and 10 — earned him a start two nights later in Portland.

All Ware did against the Blazers was become only the second NBA rookie in more than 40 years to get at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. Hall of Famer David Robinson did that back in November 1989. By month’s end, Ware had shown enough to be named the Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month for January.

Said Love: “We’d been looking for ways to get him in the lane and testing people on offense, so I looked at some of his high school highlights. I was like, ‘How was he not picked higher?’ All the signs were there. He was shooting threes, he was getting out and dunking, he was blocking shots, he was defending, he was rebounding.”

Miami has drawn that out of Ware, utilizing a contingent of big-man experts in the organization: exec Alonzo Mourning, Heat-for-life Udonis Haslem, Love, Adebayo, and coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff.

“He absorbs things,” Love said. “He wants to be better. It’s refreshing, to be honest. And at that age, being able to have guys like ‘Zo, like UD, like Bam, like myself, it’s a luxury. But it’s another thing to actually take it and apply it.”

Spoelstra likes the two-bigs starting lineup primarily for the freedom it affords Adebayo, whose versatility on both ends can best be used. But the Heat are 4-7 since Ware became a starter, so there are wrinkles to iron out.

“It’s been a small sample size, so you’ve got to work through it,” Adebayo said.

The work continues. Against the Bucks, Ware had up-and-down moments. He finished an alley-oop in the first half and smothered Giannis Antetokounmpo so well, isolated in a defensive possession, that Milwaukee’s two-time Kia MVP was forced to pass. Minutes later, Ware’s inbounding turnover helped Damian Lillard score six points in 1.1 seconds to close the half.

Later in the game, Portis went hard at Ware, facing up and hitting a jumper, then smiling on his way upcourt.

“It’s always fun playing against the younger talent from where I’m from,” Portis said. “These guys look up to me. It’s kind of cool to go at him. Also cool to have two guys from Arkansas on the court together. There’s a small percentage of people there who get the chance to go on to the NBA.

“He’s got a super-bright future. A chance to make a lot of money. He’s got to keep his head on straight. Stay out of trouble. Keep working hard. He’s with a great organization to keep him focused. But the biggest things are staying confident, and going out there and stacking good game after good game. See where you end up at.”