Aday Mara Impresses in Thunder Preseason Debut With 12 Points, 3 Blocks
Scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots in his preseason debut for Oklahoma City. The Thunder lost 110-116 to the New Orleans Pelicans…
Aday Mara made an immediate impression in his first preseason game for Oklahoma City, showing the size and defensive presence the Thunder hope to add to their frontcourt. The rookie scored 12 points and blocked three shots in an 18-minute first-half appearance against the New Orleans Pelicans in Tulsa.
Oklahoma City lost 110-116, but Mara’s performance drew praise from coach Mark Daigneault and energized teammates who rose from the bench after one of his plays. It was a strong opening, not a regular-season test.
Mara started and finished with nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks, making all five of his shots from the field. His line came entirely in the first half, according to the reports from the game.
One sequence captured the range of his contribution. At the start of the second quarter, Mara blocked a shot near his own basket, ran the floor, collected a pass and finished with an extended layup. Teammates including Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams stood up to celebrate.
“I saw it, I saw it. It was funny. They were doing the ‘finger roll’ gesture,” Mara said. “I was just there, I got the ball, saw the rim, and I didn't even think I could dunk it, so I tried to make a layup. It was fun”.
Aday Mara earns praise for conditioning
Daigneault credited Mara’s work over the summer and during training camp for helping him handle the demands of the game. The coach said the center worked from the end of Summer League until returning to Oklahoma, then continued focusing on his physical conditioning through camp.
“He worked very hard from the end of Summer League until he returned to Oklahoma and then through training camp,” Daigneault said. “There were many days he spent with his head down, working on his physical conditioning, and it showed tonight.”
The coach also pointed to Mara’s offense and defense, including his skill, mobility and impact around the rim. Daigneault described the performance as a very good start, while stressing that the player needs strong conditioning to make the most of those qualities.
The preseason outing also showed why Oklahoma City selected Mara with the 12th pick in the latest draft. He displayed passing ability, touch near the basket and rim protection, while his movement offered a glimpse of how his height can feature in transition as well as near the hoop.
The debut has drawn attention partly because of the Thunder’s anticipated matchup with San Antonio and Victor Wembanyama. Mara has been associated with the “Wemby-stopper” label, but a preseason showing against the Pelicans does not establish how he will fare against the Spurs in regular-season play. The game offered an early look at his tools, not a verdict on that challenge.
Daigneault said Mara’s impact depends on combining his skill with his physical readiness. “Obviously he is a very effective player because of his skill level on offense and then because of his impact on defense, but you have to be in very good shape to do those things and he is working on that,” the coach said.
Mara made all five field-goal attempts in his 18 minutes.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
