The excitement over Aday Mara is growing by the day among OKC Thunder players and fans alike.
From his ridiculous two-way interior presence to his standout passing skills, the big man is flashing signs that he can serve as a high-impact contributor for this team right out of the gate in his rookie campaign.
However, of all the players who could benefit from Mara's arrival in the Sooner State, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might very well be impacted the most. More specifically, a particular area of his play could see major improvements directly as a result of his presence.
Thunder rookie could help SGA set new career-high in assists
So far in the preseason, Mara has looked like an unstoppable force when on the receiving end of lob passes. Already, SGA has floated dimes up toward the rim for the towering rookie to jam home.
The thought here is that Gilgeous-Alexander, who not only drives to the rack more frequently than virtually any other guard in the league but also regularly pulls in doubles and even triple teams on such actions due to his ridiculous gravity, should absolutely thrive with a lob threat like Mara in the fold.
Let's not forget that on top of his league-leading 1,180 points generated off of drives last season, he also ranked second in passes and third in assists generated in such sets with 750 and 164, respectively.
Now, while most of these dishes were sent out toward the perimeter, with the Thunder now having a seemingly lethal lob threat in the likes of the 7-foot-3 rookie, expect Gilgeous-Alexander to float up passes toward the rim far more often this season.
With this, coupled with Mara's ridiculous 15-for-15 shooting so far in the preseason, one could realistically see a path for SGA to set a new career-high in assists per game in 2026-27.
SGA's gravity already helping another Thunder rookie thrive
Gilgeous-Alexander's gravity isn't just something that should help Mara come across cleaner lob opportunities. The big man's fellow first-round rookie, Bennett Stirtz, is also aware of the impact the reigning two-time MVP's presence has had on his own play as well.
Through two preseason games, the Iowa product has been a major bright spot. In a total of 53 minutes played so far, Stirtz has registered a whopping 35 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists while shooting a highly efficient 60.0 percent from the floor.
Perhaps most impressive of all is the fact that he's doing all of this while adopting a rather unfamiliar style of play, as he's been serving more as an off-ball role player despite being accustomed to playing with the ball in his hands.
Though coach Mark Daigneault has acknowledged this may be "a little new for him," Stirtz stressed that it's easier to adjust to a different style of play "when you have the best player in the world out there."
Clearly, Gilgeous-Alexander's presence has been benefiting Stirtz's play in a major way so far.
Add us as a preferred source on Google