Aday Mara’s summer may have started with plenty of doubt swirling around him, but his latest run with Team Spain offered a much-needed reminder of why the Oklahoma City Thunder used the No. 12 pick on him in June’s draft.
After a rough stretch that included lukewarm buzz from the front office and a shaky Summer League showing in Oklahoma City, Mara finally gave people something better to talk about in Monday’s FIBA World Cup Qualifiers matchup against Greece. He posted 15 points, 13 rebounds and a block, and he did it while shooting 71.4 percent from the floor.
That was a sharp turnaround from his previous game against Portugal, when he finished with 12 points and six rebounds on 37.5 percent shooting.
Spain still came up short, losing 108-106, but Mara’s impact was hard to miss. The 21-year-old was active, physical and clearly engaged in the pick-and-roll. He battled on the glass, worked inside, and flashed some clean touch around the rim.
That kind of outing matters after he was labeled the "most disappointing rookie" to have played in NBA Summer League. With Thunder training camp just weeks away, it was the sort of performance that can at least steady the conversation around him.
None of that means expectations have suddenly shot back up to sky-high levels. Mara isn’t being projected to burst onto the NBA scene immediately, and that’s not really the expectation for a young player anyway. The belief around him is more measured: quiet contributions, useful minutes and a chance to fit into coach Mark Daigneault’s system early in his Thunder career.
Some projections are even more cautious. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley suggested Mara won’t become a regular rotation player until 2027, but still predicted he could finish among the top three in blocks among rookies. And Thunder star Chet Holmgren is already looking at him as someone who could be "very impactful" for the team, especially as a defensive help behind him against players like Victor Wembanyama.
So while Mara’s stock took a hit over the summer, the door is still open for him to carve out a useful role in Oklahoma City. The buzz may have cooled, but the belief inside and around the Thunder hasn’t gone away.
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