Wembanyama trembles: Aday Mara could be your nightmare. “I’m going to play against him a lot”
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been able to find the antihero for the unicorn in the umpteenth master move of their astute General Manager Sam Presti. It is beginning to make sense to many why the 2025 NBA champion and MVP team Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has recruited at number 12 Aday Mara: be the shadow with his 2.21 of the 2.24 Victor Wembanyama, the ogre who fired OKC in the Conference Finals to prevent his second consecutive ring.
“Being Wemby’s stopper? That’s something that’s not a bad thing to hear,” Mara acknowledged at the post-draft press conference when asked about the United States star. San Antonio Spurs.
“I think it’s going to take time and adjustment, but I’m excited to play against him and obviously to play in the NBA, but I feel like I’m going to play against him a lot, I’m excited to prepare to play against him,” added the interior formed in the Casademont Zaragoza, NCAA champion with the Michigan Wolverines in April in his third year in American college basketball.
Pairing Mara with Wemby would be like throwing the rookie to the lions right off the bat, but there are reasons to think that the Aragonese can be important in OKC from the beginning and, at the same time, that he can have a pressure-free adaptation.
Firstly, the Thunder face a vital decision in a few days as to whether to exercise their franchise option on their starting center. Isaiah Hartensteinin order to renew him for one more year and 28.5 million dollars. OKC has to make important decisions to reduce a salary bill that would skyrocket to 250 million next year, but it could also be the case that it declines its option on the German interior to negotiate a multi-year contract in which it will earn less next year.
This second scenario seems the most feasible rather than assigning Mara the responsibility of starting center. The Spanish is already more complete offensively in his 21 years that the German at 28 with the expectation that he develops his outside shot, but defensively he is very far from Hartenstein. To begin with, it remains to be seen how Mara adapts to the rhythm of the NBA on the other side of the court.
After all, mobility continues to be the Aragonese’s main weakness, which comes to what is in fact the best defense in the NBA. However, his wide offensive repertoire between playing near the rim and game vision make him the best center in this draft class.
The presence of Chet Holmgren at ‘4’ with the interior of 2.16 moving to ‘5’ with Hartenstein on the bench will also allow Aday Mara to be able to grow and adapt without assuming a great responsibility from the beginning.
However, if the Thunder have distinguished themselves for something in recent years, it is for the rapid development of young people with examples such as Holmgren himself or Jalen Williamswhich allowed OKC to become champions with an important base of drafted players. The Thunder’s demands and the position they are in – front-line ring candidates – will also require the Spaniard to apply himself and accelerate his growth on both sides of the court. Aday Mara, recruited for an important mission in the team of the best player in the world: stop Victor Wembanyama.
