OKC Thunder Rookie Aday Mara Shocks with First Preseason Outing

OKC rookie Aday Mara was the star of the show on Tuesday night.

Sep 28, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Aday Mara (15) poses for a photo during Oklahoma City Thunder Media Day at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t expected to draft Aday Mara with their No. 12 overall pick at the 2026 NBA Draft. But after the board expectedly fell far from projections, they did just that.

At 7-foot-4, Mara stood out at Michigan with titanic size and graceful skill, able to play-finish, blocks shots and rebound, while still adding things like passing and play-making. The Thunder weren’t heavily linked to him in the pre-draft process, though one doesn’t have to go far to see how he fits the system.

Despite that, Mara struggled somewhat through the Summer League slate.

Centers with immense physicality often got the better of him on the interior, and he also struggled to keep pace with the speed of the game in terms of decision-making. Mara saw a handful of great plays, but otherwise didn’t massively impress through the few games in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

That made his preseason debut all the more shocking, where he not only looked like one of the best young players on the court, but one of the best players period.

Across 18 minutes in the first half alone, Mara shot a perfect 5-for-5 from inside the arc, going for 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He finished as a plus-13, helping OKC to a massive first-half lead.

Mara also saw his fair share of highlight plays, sending shots on the interior, and even seeing a full coast-to-coast play that ended in a finger roll.

Most impressive was the fact he played 18 minutes in the first half. Coming into the NBA, strength and conditioning was one of the biggest factors for his association assimilation, given he couldn’t play tons of minutes or long stretches with the Wolverines. Even in Summer League Mara had stretches where he appeared gassed.

In Tuesday’s bout, there were moments here and there where Mara tired, and head coach Mark Daigneault got him some strategic breaks with subs. Though Mara largely fared will in playing extended time against real NBA competition in the Pelicans’ starting five.

Mara's becoming a rotational player in Year 1 would be a massive boon for OKC, who continues to need cost-effective talent with its star three's extensions having kicked in. There's no guarantee Mara will remain apart of the rotation once the Thunder have their full compliment of players, though Tuesday's tilt was a solid start in his professional career.