The Oklahoma City Thunder have thrown Aday Mara into the deep end of the pool to start his NBA career. And the 7-foot-3 has calmly swum in the rocky waters.
Since NBA training camp opened up earlier this month, Mara has completely rewritten his short-lived narratives. Not only has his conditioning improved tenfold, but he's helped the Thunder start off with an impressive 2-0 start in the 2026-27 regular season.
In resume-strengthening wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets, Mara held his own against two top-three NBA players in Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic. Both had subpar games against OKC. The Thunder comfortably won both by double-digit points.
Can't think of a tougher set of tests to start your NBA journey. Mara talked about
being a little starstruck in both instances. In a basketball world where every big man wants to have guard-like handles, the 21-year-old is a blast from the past as he embraces his Godzilla-esque build. Remember, this is the same guy who listed all-time centers — Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Hakeem Olajuwon — as players he grew up idolizing.
"Very crazy because last two games, it's been against Wembanyama and tonight was Jokic. Which is one of my favorite players — if not, my favorite player," Mara said. "I haven't think about it yet. But it's pretty crazy to play against those guys. I used to watch in the TV. But I think once I get in the court, I feel pretty comfortable."
The Thunder are expecting big things from Mara both in the short-term and long-term future. He's helped from the jump. Something that was difficult to imagine after his sluggish Summer League outing. But he's completely transformed his conditioning over the last few months.
Now, he's looking to be a ready-now contributor who could be a key piece in the long run. The Thunder look like they hit a home run with the No. 12 pick of the 2026 NBA draft.
From last night:
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) October 23, 2026
Aday Mara on his first two games of his NbA career
Says it’s pretty crazy cause the first two games were against Wemby and Jokic and Jokic is one of his favorite players ever pic.twitter.com/bUt6QRAgrA
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Aday Mara experiences starstruck moment facing Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama
