Many were thrilled when the OKC Thunder snagged big man Aday Mara with the 12th overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. He was a player that OKC was rumored to want to trade up for, and he ended up falling into their laps later in the lottery instead.
Now, two Summer League games in, fans might be getting a glimpse as to why.
Mara has scored 10 points in each game, but that is about where the positivity stops. He is shooting just 47.1 percent, not elite by any means for a player measuring in at 7-foot-3.
He also amassed eight turnovers in the process. What could be even more cause for concern, though, are the box scores of players he has matched up against.
In the first game, third overall pick Cam Boozer scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He had four assists compared to just two turnovers in 24 minutes.
On Monday night, fellow rookie Zuby Ejiofor posted 19 points in 25 minutes. He also dominated the glass, out-rebounding Mara 15 to nine.
In short, Mara looked unprepared for the physicality of the two bigs.
Aday Mara isn't doing what Thunder drafted him to do
Mara has arguably failed the first two defensive tests thrown his way in a Thunder uniform. Boozer is projected to be a proficient NBA player, but he is in no way on par with the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama.
Mara, drafted as a possible "Wemby stopper," might have an uphill battle to live up to the name, at least in the immediate future.
Boozer and Ejiofor are no slouches, but Wembanyama is on a level of his own, and Mara will need to prove he is capable of guarding lesser players before he is ready to take on the gauntlet.
It's still extremely early, but these first two games can serve as a reminder that Mara is not a slam-dunk pick by any means. He will have to develop into a productive member of the OKC defense, and it may take some time.
Likewise, fellow first-round pick Bennett Stirtz is just 7-of-20 in his first two games. It's a healthy refresher of what truly comes with bringing in rookies with the expectation that they help the team in year one.
The Thunder haven't had to do this in two years, as their last two first-round picks, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber, both sat out their entire first seasons. Topic was hardly a factor in his official rookie year just this past season, and there is no guarantee that 2026-27 will be any different.
Mara's development will be worth monitoring moving forward, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. If he fails to show signs of progress before the season, fans could see a diminished role for him early on.
Add us as a preferred source on Google