Keeping his hand up on Pascal Siakam, Aday Mara rejected the All-Star's push shot. Grabbing the rebound and running the floor, his two-time MVP teammate rewarded his hustle. The 21-year-old needed little time to get into the post and hit his signature spin move for the layup.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a 114-112 overtime preseason win over the Indiana Pacers. In it, Mark Daigneault gained even more confidence that two fresh faces could help on Opening Night and beyond.
Mara finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, four rebounds and one assist. He shot 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had three blocks.
This wasn't the eye-popping statline that Mara has had in any preseason outings, but this was arguably the most promising of the bunch. Why?
Because he showed he can seamlessly fit into a downsized role. Against the Pacers' loaded frontcourt, he held his own with a few accomplished NBA players.
Logging some serious minutes in the NBA preseason, Mara has shown few signs of fatigue. On the second night of a road-and-home back-to-back, he balled out. This time, as a complementary piece alongside OKC's grown-up starters. He was an easy assist machine as his teammates fed him the ball down low.
Not just that, but Mara held his own as a rim protector. His sheer 7-foot-3 frame will make him dependable in that area. Opposing teams have needed a minute to adjust to his Godzilla-esque height. Most who dare to challenge him have failed to get the ball anywhere near the rim. With a game to go, he's easily been OKC's best preseason story.
Now, we're approaching the next step of his NBA journey. Can Mara replicate most of this when the games matter? We're a week away from an early answer. But there's no doubt that the 21-year-old has completely flipped the fanbase's excitement about him. Not only has he weaponized his unique size, but he's shown he can handle the grind of a regular-season schedule without resorting to fumes.
"The rotation is not like a set-in-stone thing that you graduate to. It's obviously fluid based on circumstance, and for us, it's really fluid. It's fluid night to night," Daigneault said about Mara and Bennett Stirtz. "So, it's not something that you lock into or are completely out of. But I trust both those guys. They've done a nice job in the preseason. They clearly have strengths that they can get into the game that can help the team."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: These 2 NBA rookies could help OKC Thunder in 2026-27 regular season
