The 2026-2027 regular season kicked off Tuesday night with three games, one of which featured a former Michigan National Champion. Aday Mara made his NBA debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and even though he only saw 12 minutes of action, he made the most of it.
When Mara was drafted by the Thunder, it was clear he wasn't going to be a starter for a team that was a little over a year out from winning the NBA Finals. His height and ability to be a rim protector were more of a secret weapon on the bench than anything else, and Mara proved that to be true against the San Antonio Spurs.
The biggest sequence Mara had Tuesday night was a major block on Victor Wembanyama, and on the other end of the court, he had a highlight-reel alley-oop dunk to stretch the Thunder's lead to 14 points. Mara finished the night with seven points, two rebounds, an assist, and a block.
Aday Mara MAKING PLAYS in his first NBA game 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) October 21, 2026
Big-time swat at the rim.
Two-hand alley-oop slam.
The Thunder lead in Q3! pic.twitter.com/YJpmoBAm8J
Aday Mara has a chance to make some noise in the NBA regular season
While Mara may not see a lot of the court for the Thunder this season with the roster that they have, he definitely impressed during the preseason. Mara was averaging 13.4 points per game, typically playing around half the game, except against the Atlanta Hawks, where he was on the court for 33 minutes.
In that game against the Hawks, Mara was great on the board with 10 rebounds and six assists. With play like that, Mara could often see more than 12 minutes a game, but it was game one for the Thunder, and they had to put their best foot forward.
Mara is sitting behind fellow Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, but it's clear these two can be interchangeable right now, giving Holmgren more time to catch a breather when need be. Mara can hold down the middle of the court, and his first NBA career block against Wemby is not something to scoff at.
That block is something Mara probably won't ever forget, and it proved that his ability to rim protect is something the Thunder won't take for granted. There is a long season ahead, but if Mara can continue to put together performances as he did against the Spurs with little time on the court, he could start to earn more minutes.
Mara still has growing to do at the NBA level, but he is with the best program for his skill set right now to start to make some noise at the pro level.
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