On Tuesday, the OKC Thunder made a statement with their opening-night win over the rival San Antonio Spurs. The blue and orange had a stranglehold on the game's momentum in their narrow, wire-to-wire victory, setting the tone for the regular-season series.
Amid the hard-fought battle was a subtle storyline that many might have overlooked: Rookie Aday Mara stole the show during his brief time on the court.
The former Michigan Wolverine scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting while registering two boards, an assist, and a block (against Victor Wembanyama, no less).
Of course, his impressive debut didn't come without sacrifices from others, as the effort was a direct result of starting center Isaiah Hartenstein ceding minutes due to early foul trouble.
Mara was forced into a larger minute share, and, moving forward, he may not be all that interested in giving that time back.
Mara's sheer presence on the floor gave OKC an advantage they simply don't have when Hartenstein mans the middle. The Michigan product looked Wembanyama-esque, especially on the defensive end, as his stature deterred any and all of San Antonio's drives out of fear of getting instantly stuffed.
Thunder veteran could continue to lose minutes if Mara keeps impressing
Because of the unique advantages the Thunder possess when Mara is on the floor, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the rookie continue to siphon minutes away from the club's current starting big.
To this point, I-Hart has served his purpose well. However, if the Thunder want to possess a high enough ceiling to return to and win the NBA Finals, they must roll out players who give them the best chance of doing so.
Hartenstein would still have a role if Mara took over some of his minutes. His bruising defense and elite screening ability at the top of the key give the Thunder key advantages in various matchups.
That being said, Mara gives the Thunder defense something that Wemby provides to his Spurs: a full-time shot deterrent.
With Mara on the floor, the Thunder were able to give the Spurs a taste of their own medicine, and that payback was never more evident than when the rookie rose up to reject an alley-oop attempt by Wemby. The Frenchman fell to the floor, and Mara ended up finishing a lob on his own at the other end.
The minutes split between Isaiah Hartenstein and Aday Mara will be an intriguing storyline to monitor as the season progresses, specifically against teams like the Spurs, who have skyscrapers of their own.
One thing is certain, though: Aday Mara is here to stay, and the Thunder have seemingly evened the playing field in their heated Western Conference rivalry with his addition alone.
Add us as a preferred source on Google