A few years back, Kenrich Williams made the then-bold claim that he saw serious All-Star potential in Jalen Williams. Obviously, this ultimately proved to be the case just a few short seasons later. Now, heading into 2025-26, he's publicly calling his shot on another OKC Thunder prospect he sees as having a bright future ahead of him.
During a media session on Thursday, the veteran forward and, apparently, unofficial Thunder seer gushed over rookie center Aday Mara based on what he's seen so far in camp, going as far as to say he believes he has the potential to be a "first-team, second-team, All-Defensive guy."
"Sky's the limit," Williams said.
Needless to say, this is certainly an assessment that goes against the grain when it comes to takes on Mara since being selected 12 overall in this past June's NBA Draft.
From being branded as the most disappointing rookie to participate in NBA Summer League to predictions that he won't even be a rotation player until next year, the Michigan product has been run through the wringer this summer.
Of course, as the offseason progressed, Mara started to show some signs of life while suiting up for Spain's national team in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. Now, with Thunder training camp officially underway, it seems this momentum may have carried over.
That's what Williams seems to be suggesting, anyway.
Expedited Aday Mara development is worst thing for veteran Thunder big
Though the idea of Mara possibly leaving his past struggles from Summer League behind him may be exciting from a fan perspective, to Jaylin Williams, it could be seen as somewhat of a gut-punch.
Just a few years ago, one of OKC's biggest rotational weaknesses was their lack of big man depth and overall size in the frontcourt, which gave the 6-foot-9 Williams the opportunity to show his worth as the primary backup behind Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Clearly, he has gone on to make the most of things, establishing himself as arguably the best backup big in the entire league and dropping a career-best 7.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 38.3 percent from deep in sub-20 minutes per game last season.
However, now with guys like Thomas Sorber and Aday Mara set to join the rotation, the Thunder have an abundance of promising young options to plug into both the four and five slots in the rotation.
Considering their high-profile draft stocks and rookie-scale contracts, coupled with Oklahoma City's fight to stay under the second apron long-term, an expedited development process from either Sorber or Mara, let alone both, could theoretically be viewed as a hint that Jaylin Williams' tenure with the Thunder will presumably not be for the entire duration of his three-year, $24 million deal.
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