If the first two games of the 2026-27 NBA season are a sign of things to come, then the Oklahoma City Thunder intend to unleash Aday Mara in full form—but in short spurts. He's played a combined 25 minutes through two games, which could be alarming on the surface. During that time, however, he's seemingly been encouraged to go all-out.
Though that may not be quite as riveting as giving him major minutes would be, it's the perfect role for the purpose of helping Mara explore his full potential.
Mara's minutes will likely increase over time, as his first two NBA games have been against the two best centers in the world: Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. The fact that Oklahoma City has given the rookie double-digit minutes despite the matchup, however, is a promising sign.
Rather than hiding him from top-tier opponents, the Thunder have given him a crash course in what playing in the NBA is all about.
That's exactly why the role he played makes so much sense for him moving forward. He's learning what it's like to go up against the best of the best at his position and is being trusted to maximize his minutes and therefore see how quickly a mistake can work against him.
The Thunder will ultimately need to remove the proverbial training wheels and let Mara play through his mistakes, but his early rookie role is perfect for him.
Aday Mara is learning by fire against elite 5s, going all-out in short spurts
Mara played 12 minutes in his debut, posting seven points, two rebounds, a block, and an assist in 12 minutes against Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. He then played 13 minutes in his second game, tallying two points, three rebounds, a block, and a steal against the Denver Nuggets.
In both outings, Mara was thrown to the wolves and challenged to hold his own against top-tier teams that can challenge him from every angle of the court.
Mara thrived against the Spurs, forcing Wembanyama to shoot 0-of-4 from the field and holding the Spurs to an 0-of-7 mark as a team when he was the primary defender. It was quite an audition for the Wemby Stopper role that many expect him to try to play given that he's a 7'3" lottery pick.
His clash with the Nuggets was a bit more challenging, as he had to deal with athletic backups who tested his ability to cover ground while having Jokic in the back of his mind.
Moving forward, giving Mara quick looks at the different type of bigs he's going to be encountering is a great introduction to his new experience. As he becomes more comfortable with those matchups, slowly increasing his minutes will prove essential. In the meantime, however, giving him a steady 12-plus minutes is a great start.
It may only be a matter of time until Mara is dominating games, but until then, he's in an ideal role as a defensive stopper with seemingly consistent playing time and early responsibility.
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