3 thoughts on commitment of Aday Mara to Michigan basketball

Michigan basketball made another big addition from the transfer portal on Friday, and that's more than a play on words since Aday Mara, the newest Wolverine, is 7-foot-3

Mara comes to Michigan basketball from UCLA. He's ranked as the No. 40 player overall according to the 247 Sports transfer portal rankings, as well as the No. 7 center.

Mara has just nine starts in two seasons, but is a player who came to the Bruins with talk of him being a possible first-round pick. That's still on the table. He averaged 6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in just 13.1 minutes per game last season.

Michigan basketball fans should be excited about this addition, and here are three thoughts on the commitment of Aday Mara.

A dominant low-post scorer

Michigan basketball is going to have a dominant frontcourt once again this season, it will just be dominant in different ways.

There won't be a 7-foot pick-and-roll like last season, although if Yaxel Lendeborg joins the team, there could be some ball screens with him and Mara.

The two could be dangerous together. Even if Lendeborg doesn't come, Mara is a perfect replacement for Vlad Goldin. There are question marks, but Goldin was a dominant low-post scorer and rim protector.

Mara brings both of those skills. He shot 59 percent from the field, averaged 1.6 blocks and 1.8 offensive rebounds in just 13 minutes. His block and offensive rebound rates were among the highest in the country, he just didn't play a ton of minutes.

You won't find many scorers who can produce like Goldin. It remains to be seen if Mara can, but in terms of skill set, he's an ideal replacement for Goldin and gives the Wolverines a dominant low-post threat just like last season.

Beyond that, he should be an ideal fit to play with new Michigan basketball point guard Elliot Cadeau. The Wolverines needed a lob threat, and Mara can be that guy. With Johnson and Mara, the Wolverines have given Cadeau two good bigs to play the ball-screen game with.

How many minutes can Mara play?

The question about Mara is can be a full-time starter? He started just nine games in two seasons and just one in 2024-25 for the Bruins.

The potential is there. The production is too as a shot blocker, scorer, even as a playmaker. Mara has shown all the tools that put him on the radar of NBA scouts in Spain, what he hasn't shown is that he can play 25 minutes a night.

Conditioning is always going to be an issue for someone who is 7-foot-3, but if Michigan can get Mara to play 25 minutes, with a minimum drop-off in effectiveness, and you'd have one of the best pure centers in all of college basketball.

Two centers that don't shoot

Morez Johnson and Mara do a lot of things well, such as rebound, finish, and score out of ball screens, but neither is a very strong shooter.

Neither player attempted a 3-pointer last season. So playing together could cause some spacing issues. It could also be a nightmare for opponents on the glass. Trying to score inside against that tandem will be difficult, too.

If Yaxel comes, we'll surely see plenty of Mara and Johnson at the five, with Yaxel at the four. That's the ideal situation, but even if Yaxel stays in the NBA draft, Michigan will have two quality centers, and two others in Will Tschetter and Oscar Goodman who can play the four.

It should all work out, but it will be interesting to see how much Mara and Johnson play together, especially if Yaxel isn't on the roster.