On Tuesday night, the Thunder selected Michigan center Aday Mara with the 12th overall draft pick.
Mara is a 7'3" big man from Spain with a 260-pound frame. At 9'9", his standing reach is the second-tallest in NBA combine history. He played an integral role in helping Michigan win its first NCAA title since 1989.
Mara is primarily known for his shot-blocking ability and presence around the rim, but his floor vision and scoring ability are equally reespectable. ESPN cites his conditioning and spotty perimeter shooting as a few of his shortcomings, but he is coming into a situation where he will not be expected to carry an overwhelming burden on the floor.
With other players that piqued the Thunder's interest like Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., and Brayden Burries off the board, Mara was the clear next choice for general manager Sam Presti. Mara will slot in nicely with the likes of Chet Holmgren, Thomas Sorber, Jaylin Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein if his team option is picked up.
Thunder clearly had one thing in mind with the selection
It's clear that, given his colossal frame, the Thunder were intent on drafting their Wemby-stopper. After a nightmare performance by Chet Holmgren in which he was dominated by the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama on both ends of the floor, it was clear OKC needed one more big body to compete with the team that is likely to give them fits in the West for the next few years.
With this in mind, Mara was a no-brainer pick when it came to adding more tools to coach Mark Daigneault's toolbox.
The pick, however sensible, does contradict Presti's comments in his end-of-season press conference, when he explained how little sense it makes to model a roster for the purpose of beating one specific team. The selection of Mara seems like just that.
Seeing how Mara fares in his first few bouts with Wemby and the Spurs will be something to monitor in the coming season, and will shed light on whether he was worth spending a lottery pick on.
Now with at least five big men on the roster, Daigneault will have no shortage of options to use in the front court in his rotations. The minute distribution will be something to look for, and it will be interesting to see how Mara takes away (or doesn't) from the likes of Jayline Williams and Thomas Sorber.
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