Back on draft day, it was difficult to poke holes in the OKC Thunder's selection of Aday Mara. They were coming off a Western Conference Finals series in which they were outmatched by the 7-foot-4 Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, and it was clear they needed more help at the rim.
Mara seemed like a slam dunk of a pick when his name was called.
That is, until he debuted his skill set in the NBA Summer League. Not only did his performance leave much to be desired, but it was dismal enough to earn him the recognition of "Most Disappointing Rookie" by ESPN.
Now, questions about whether GM Sam Presti made a mistake are sure to ensue.
ESPN's Ben Golliver described Mara as someone who "excelled when surrounded by NBA-caliber players" last year at Michigan. In other words, even upon his selection in June, he was destined to be a role player.
Thunder abandoned their own strategy when selecting Aday Mara
With his slew of performances, Mara is quickly proving that he was likely not the best player available at pick number 12, but more of a specialized tool that fit exactly what OKC needed at the time. Such a strategy is not unheard of, but it is in direct contradiction to the way Presti claims to run things in Oklahoma City.
In his end-of-season press conference back in June, the storied executive proclaimed that running a franchise is more about acquiring the best value than letting any predeterminations dominate the decision-making process.
This recent NBA Draft was a clear example of the opposite: OKC needed size, and they were intent on getting it by any means.
It was clear there were better all-around basketball players on the table, but the Thunder didn't need any more skill players. They needed a skyscraper who could guard the rim.
Because Presti broke his rule, he may be stuck with a severely underwhelming version of Victor Wembanyama -- one who shares a similar height advantage but doesn't have enough ability to be considered an asset to the team.
Because the Thunder elected to go after need rather than value, they are now stuck with a player who possesses glaring weaknesses that will prevent him from ever being a full-time player.
Spending such high draft capital on him may end up being a black mark on Sam Presti's nearly flawless record when all is said and done. Time will tell if the pick will look better as the season progresses, but Mara is proving worthy of concern thus far.
Add us as a preferred source on Google