For the next month before the 2026
NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at No. 22. Next up in this series is Michigan’s Aday Mara.The Sixers have a bevy of options and avenues they could take in this draft. Will they move up, move down or stay put and select at 22nd overall? That remains to be seen. Today, let’s take a look at a premier option on the interior in the event that
the franchise does get aggressive and moves up in the draft. That option is none other than Michigan center Aday Mara. Mara, fresh off a national championship at Michigan, has seen his stock skyrocket throughout his junior season after transferring from UCLA. Once thought of as more of a second-round dart throw, Mara is now almost certainly going to be a lottery selection. Let’s dive in on what makes Mara the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and one of the top players in this year’s loaded draft class.
Profile
Team: Michigan
Year: Junior
Position: Center
Born: April 7, 2005 (21 years old)
Hometown: Zaragoza, Spain
Stats (PER 40)
20.7 PPG
11.5 REB
4.1 AST
4.4 BLK
65.9 TS%
56.4% FT
Measurements
Height: 7’4
Wingspan: 7’6
Weight: 260 pounds
Strengths
Defense
Mara was the anchor to one of the very best defenses in all of college basketball. His 12% block rate coupled with his monstrous physical tools make him an elite rim deterrent. Mara ranked in the 99th percentile in both DBPM (Defensive Box Plus Minus) and opponent two-point defensive field goal percentage. He’s also surprisingly mobile for his body type. Mara excels as a drop defender in pick-and-roll coverages and is excellent at contesting shots in the short and midrange, and even at times flashed some impressive moments of sticking with perimeter players further out from the hoop. He projects to be one of the best pure rim protectors in the NBA.
Rim Finishing/Vertical Spacing
Mara was 69% on all two-point attempts and finished 81-of-88 dunk attempts. He uses his tremendous catch radius to get up effortlessly to throw down lobs out of pick-and-roll situations and from the dunker spot. Mara has also shown ability to finish around the rim with either hand on touch shots and hooks as well. While his play strength and overall back-to-the-basket game as a scorer are still a work in progress, he is capable of scoring out of the post and turning over either shoulder.
Passing + Processing
Mara displayed tremendous high-level passing feel in his lone season at Michigan just as he did in a lesser role in his time at UCLA. Whether it was making skip passes out of the post, one-handed passes with either hand, over the head passes to cutters, launching pin-point outlet passes to spark fastbreaks, making quick decisions and reads out of the short roll, or orchestrating the offense from the top of the key or high post hitting guys for backdoors or looking off defenders to reverse the ball for threes, Mara has shown the upside to be one of the better big man passers of his archetype.
Hands
Mara has excellent hands on both ends of the floor. He catches just about everything thrown his way around the rim. When you combine that with his physical tools, it’s what makes him a dynamic lob threat. Mara’s active hands in drop allow him to get deflections and steals and his ability to contest and block shots with both hands aid his elite capabilities as a rim protector.
Areas of Concern
Physicality
Mara’s massive frame often makes up for his lack in raw strength and physicality. These weaknesses can show up on both ends of the floor at times. Mara can be bumped off his spots and knocked off the ball by stronger, more physical bigs and that can cause issues with him protecting the basketball and being able to finish through contact. Bigs could get into his chest at times as well on post-ups and drives and knock him off spots in order to get their shots off around the basket.
Shooting Touch
Mara did knock down three of his 10 attempts from three in his junior season but is best considered as a non-factor as a shooter. Mara also is a very poor foul shooter who was just 58% from the line for his college career and just 56% during his junior year at Michigan.
Conditioning
Mara played a career high 23 minutes per game this season. At times Mara was noticeably tired, and his play would suffer as a result. Mara’s minutes threshold did go up in their bigger games, and he did seem to be in much better shape in the second half of the season. Michigan also had a bevy of frontcourt options which likely played a part in his minute’s suppression.
Overview
Aday Mara’s intersection of rim finishing, rim protection, rebounding, vertical spacing, passing, and overall feel and processing on both ends of the floor give him an excellent blend of high floor and high ceiling as a prospect. Mara provides a floor as an elite rim deterrent, play finisher and connective passer who can aide and impact winning on both ends of the floor in any lineup. His passing ability and growing post-game in conjunction with his abilities as a play finisher give him upside as a true offensive hub. Mara is worthy of a top-10 selection in this draft when you account for all he is as a player. He could step in as the heir apparent to Joel Embiid as the Sixers’ starting center of the future and in the immediate provide the Sixers with what would surely be one of the best backup centers in the NBA. With Embiid almost guaranteed to miss a large chunk of games, Mara would give the Sixers a de-facto sixth starter and lynch pin inside for the future to go with their dynamic young backcourt in Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Draft Projection
SB Nation mock draft: No. 5, Los Angeles Clippers
