Aday Mara has already impressed 1 OKC Thunder teammate: 'He's going to be a force'
Accompanying Thomas Sorber, Ajay Mitchell added to the NBA’s yearly tradition of teammates coming out to Las Vegas to support their upcoming rookie class at Summer League. Every July, the two-week extravaganza sees all types of names visit the league’s get-together event.
This year, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a Summer League squad flatter than a day-old soda. Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz are the headliners, but those two complementary players are being forced to play a larger role than reasonably expected. Doesn’t help that they’re surrounded by non-NBA players. Right now, they’re winless through five tries.
That said, Mara’s up-and-down Summer League stint shouldn’t influence your opinion on him — one way or the other. There’s a reason why his college tape and scouting report were pretty unanimous with his strengths and weaknesses. The 7-foot-3 titan will need to improve his motor. He’ll need to also work on his finishing around the rim.
Appearing on the Summer League broadcast, Mitchell talked about his excitement to play with Mara. Like most folks who liked his game at Michigan, his size is his ultimate standout feature. You can’t teach height. The Thunder are banking on that to help him be an eventual contributor in OKC.
“I saw him a little at Michigan. Great passer for a big. That’s special,” Mitchell said about Mara. “He’s 7’3. He’s going to be a force.”
Of course, you can never really chart out NBA developmental paths. Mitchell is a textbook example. In just two seasons, he went from a second-round two-way afterthought to being one of OKC’s best players in just his sophomore season. Now, he’s a key piece to their long-term success.
We’ll see how Mara shakes out. If I had to guess, the 21-year-old won’t be asked to help the Thunder in his rookie season. Beyond that, though, an ideal world features him as part of their loaded frontcourt. We’re seeing OKC double down on size in its center room. He’s the latest addition to that trend.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Aday Mara has already impressed 1 OKC Thunder teammate: ‘He’s going to be a force’
