Through the first two games of the OKC Thunder's preseason, the biggest story is clearly rookie center Aday Mara. In 43 combined minutes, the 7-foot-3 big has recorded 34 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks. He's also made all 15 of his shot attempts in the process.
In short, his pair of performances to kick off the preseason were nothing short of eye-popping. Now surrounded by a number of established NBA players, Mara has shown his true value in a major way.
The young pivot was on the receiving end of countless lobs from various teammates. Seemingly one after another, the big man finished easy scores.
As a result, three different members of the starting lineup registered five or more assists.
Aday Mara presents Thunder with clear hack they've never had before
With the Spaniard on the floor, this Thunder core tapped into a style of play they haven't had the luxury of leaning into. Because of the giant, the alley-oop is now in play at all times.
Every time Mara was in, the Thunder's offense could be summed up in one word: easy. They scored 82 points in the first half of Wednesday's game.
OKC was plus-17 in the center's 25 minutes, and everything appeared to be running smoothly.
Mara's mere presence threatens the defense. If he gets anywhere near the rim, it's nearly an automatic bucket, especially when poorly covered on pick-and-rolls.
OKC exposed that weakness on Wednesday night, and it's something they have never had before.
Aday Mara and the other Thunder bigs are simply not the same
Both of OKC's true centers last year, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, did not possess the same prowess that Mara does.
Both are either well under 7-feet or just scratching the surface. Hartenstein relies on his signature mid-range floater, and JWill can stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting ability, but neither is able to elevate like their rookie counterpart.
Even Chet Holmgren, who measures in at 7-foot-1, has too slight a build to be a consistent lob recipient.
Aday Mara, however, is a giant among men, and the Thunder have already learned to exploit this physical trait of his.
Skilled passers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell showed they are more than willing to throw the ball up to where only their sky-scraping center could reach it. Through two preseason games, the alley-oop has been virtually unguardable.
Mara has yet to miss a shot for a reason. Every opportunity has been close to the basket.
He is tall, big, and has teammates surrounding him who understand how to manipulate defenses into leaving the big man more open than he should be.
Even though many of his points were not the result of his own efforts, he is a cheat code when asked to finish what others start.
Thunder fans should get used to seeing their new interior weapon be the lucky recipient of many more lob dunks.
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