One-handed catching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's miss, Aday Mara went to work on a second-chance look. He took one power dribble before he spun around for the putback layup. The opening bucket previewed the type of monstrous night the 21-year-old would enjoy.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made easy work of the Washington Wizards in a 114-75 win. They led by as many as 43 points. I think they've found their groove back in the Post-D.C.C. (Dub, Chet, Caso) world.
Mara finished with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-1 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had three blocks.
You want to know how the Thunder have conjured up a sharp defense without Holmgren's otherworldly rim protection? Look no further than
Mara. Within three games of the 2026-27 regular season, any plans to slow-play his development were thrown out the window. They needed help. Right then and there. In a sink-or-swim couple of weeks, the 7-foot-3 behomoth has glided with the water current.
"Aday's done a great job, like I said last night. He's been really consistent. He's played impactful minutes every single night," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said about Mara. "Which is hard to do for a rookie player. Especially at that position."
Mara has completely changed how the Thunder play on both ends. About all of his playmakers have figured out how to throw the ball at him deep in the paint. Lob attempts have become more daring. They've realized their margin for error is endless. Not only that, but his teammates have confidently clashed into the opposing defense — knowing they can bank on him cleaning up their misses.
As the game was out of hand, Mara had the most fun he had enjoyed since being in the NBA. The blocks were downright nasty. He showed his different style of being a shot-blocker — at least, compared to Holmgren. He's all raw strength and size. He doesn't need to hop off the floor to reach a shot attempt's apex. A simple, strong swat serves as enough force.
Egged on by the OKC crowd, Mara swished in his first career outside jumper. The seven-footer had to work up the confidence to get into his shot motion. But finally went up for the shot attempt he drilled in. Understanding the significance, the fanbase erupted like he had hit a game-winner. You can now cross that item off his NBA bucket list. Feeling himself, he later went with a Dirk-esque fadeaway jumper.
The more Mara has played in the NBA, the better he's been. Entering the year, the Thunder badly needed some new blood among their rotation players. In comes the 21-year-old. He's been a dominant force in stretches on both ends. But this was the first time in his rookie season when everything came together for an entire night.
"He's been huge. Just evolving in front of our eyes. He's a special player. He's going to be a special player in this league," Kenrich Williams said about Mara. 'He's going to keep getting better. There are still areas where he can grow, but I'm just super proud of his growth so far. The 3-pointer is kinda icing on the cake."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Aday Mara continues to be huge help as Thunder get easy win over Wizards
