Should The Brooklyn Nets Consider Aday Mara With The Sixth Pick?

The Brooklyn Nets aren't afraid of going against the grain in the NBA Draft.

Just last year, they selected BYU point guard Egor Demin with the eighth overall pick. Demin was considered the back end of the lottery talent. The Nets identified him as their guy and grabbed him earlier than many expected. And Brooklyn has the chance to do something similar this year.

Michigan center Aday Mara is widely viewed as the best big man prospect in this year's class. However, in a class filled with elite guards and wings, most mock drafts have him going somewhere between 8 and 14. With the Nets on the clock at six, could Mara be in play for a Brooklyn team looking to take a jump next season?

Why Aday Mara Is A Realistic Option For The Nets At Six

After a couple of seasons mainly coming off the bench for UCLA, Mara transferred to Michigan for his junior season. The 7-foot-3 center made an impact immediately, posting 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game to help lead the Wolverines to the National Championship. He shot 66.8% from the field and blocked 2.6 shots a night.

Mara is a prototypical rim-to-rim center. He doesn't bring a ton of offensive value to the table outside the paint, only attempting 10 three-pointers all season. But he provides a big body at the rim for easy lobs and can get on the glass with ease. Adding a more consistent mid-range jumper would do wonders for him.

Defensively, Mara's impact is hard to comprehend. He's an elite rim-protector, with a Victor Wembanyama ceiling when it comes to blocking and altering shots in the paint. He's nowhere near as agile as the Spurs superstar, and their overall games are not comparable. However, when it comes to protecting the rim, Mara has as much upside as anyone.

With the Nets seemingly always teetering on trading Nic Claxton, picking up a high-upside insurance policy is not a bad play. Brooklyn loaded up on guards in last year's draft. The interior depth is not as certain. Claxton could easily be traded. Day'Ron Sharpe is perfect in his role as a backup big. And Danny Wolf is more of a power forward than anything else.

Picking Mara at six would be a risky, and most likely unpopular move for the Nets to make. But it's the kind of move that could pay huge dividends down the road. Mara's impact on the game goes far beyond what the stat sheet at Michigan showed. He could be a true game-changer immediately on both ends of the court.

At this point in the rebuild, the Nets need to start showing tangible progress on the court. Mara would help them do just that.

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