The Thunder’s early-season survival story has come with a familiar theme: size matters, and Victor Wembanyama keeps forcing teams to rethink everything.
Oklahoma City is 8-4 and hanging in the top half of the playoff race despite a wave of long-term injuries. A big reason the Thunder have managed to keep their footing is rookie 7-footer Aday Mara, who has quietly become a real problem at the rim.
The Michigan product is averaging 1.8 blocks and owns the league’s lowest defensive field-goal percentage. Drafted as a kind of “Wemby Stopper” after Oklahoma City’s painful loss in last year’s Western Conference Finals, Mara is already backing up that label.
He also helped produce one of Wembanyama’s roughest offensive nights in the season opener.
But the Thunder are hardly alone in trying to build a wall.
The Lakers, who surprisingly sit first in the Western Conference at 11-2, have made their own defensive adjustment after getting beat up by San Antonio last season. Luka Doncic is putting together another elite year, but the bigger offseason swing may have been the addition of Walker Kessler. Acquired from Utah, Kessler was brought in to strengthen the interior, and that’s exactly what he’s doing in Los Angeles.
That move makes sense when you look back at what Wembanyama did to the Lakers last year. Los Angeles went 1-2 against San Antonio in games Wemby played, and the offense sputtered at 105.6 points per game.
Wembanyama averaged 25 points and 11.3 rebounds in those meetings, and he got to the line 27 times combined. The Lakers simply had no answer for him.
At 22, Wembanyama is already viewed by many as the best player in the NBA, and this season he’s pairing that defensive force with 30.3 points per game on offense. That kind of two-way dominance has pushed teams to get bigger, and both Los Angeles and Oklahoma City have clearly responded.
The early results are encouraging. The Lakers look more solid defensively even with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the backcourt, and the Thunder keep bouncing in and out of a top-three spot in the West despite missing three starters.
Wembanyama may have changed the game, but the league is adjusting fast. The Spurs aren’t going to get a clear path back to the NBA Finals, not with teams now stocking up on their own Wemby stoppers down low.
In Other News...
Clippers Had One Answer When OKC Tried To Take This One Late
The Thunder had every chance to flip a tight night in Los Angeles, but instead they walked away with a 113-112 loss to the Clippers and a third straight defeat. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried Oklahoma City with 40 points, keeping the game within reach and giving the Thunder the kind of late push they usually thrive on.
There was at least one encouraging development amid the frustration: third-year guard Nikola Topic made his season debut after a long road back from injuries and health setbacks. He did not fill up the scoring column, but he still found ways to help with rebounds, assists and steals, a useful sign for a team trying to steady itself while waiting for more of its rotation to come together. [Read more 🡒]
Doug McDermotts Retirement Brings Back A Mavericks Team-Building Reminder
Doug McDermotts retirement announcement brought a familiar name back into the conversation for NBA fans who remember how quickly he became a useful piece after entering the league in 2014. Over 12 seasons, the sharp-shooting forward carved out a long career with seven teams, including stops with the Bulls, Pacers and Kings, and he left behind the kind of rsum that reflects both consistency and adaptability.
For Oklahoma City, McDermotts path also serves as another reminder of how much roster churn can shape a franchises history, even in the margins. He spent a brief stretch with the Thunder early in his career before moving on in the Carmelo Anthony trade, and his retirement adds one more layer to a deal that still sits in the background of the teams team-building story. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Keep Getting Big Jared McCain Nights Without The Ending They Need
Jared McCain kept giving the Thunder the kind of jolt that can swing a tight NBA Cup game, scoring 23 points and punctuating the third quarter with a deep buzzer-beating three that had Oklahoma City in position to finish the night on a high note. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the offense with 40 points, and for stretches it looked like the Thunder had enough firepower to ride those big moments past the Clippers.
Instead, the closing sequence turned on one possession too many. McCain was involved in the foul that led to Darius Garlands and-1 late in the fourth quarter, and after that, Gilgeous-Alexanders potential winner at the buzzer did not fall, leaving Oklahoma City with a 113-112 loss and another standout McCain performance without the ending the Thunder wanted. [Read more 🡒]