Aday Mara makes an impression in Thunder preseason debut

“You have to be in very good shape to do those things,” Aday Mara said after making an impression in his first preseason game with the Thunder. His plays won over his teammates, coach Mark Daigneault, the Oklahoma press and the fans. The Spanish center also got the bench reacting: some looked astonished, while others mimicked his finish at the basket.

Daigneault particularly highlighted the work Mara put in over the summer to get into shape. “He worked really hard from the end of the Summer League until he came back to Oklahoma, and then through training camp. He put in a lot of days with his head down, working on his conditioning, and it showed tonight,” the coach said.

On the court, the Spanish center started and scored 12 points without a miss, making all five of his field-goal attempts, in 18 minutes. He also collected nine rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded three blocks. His range was on display at both ends: court vision and passing, simple finishes built on his height and fundamentals, as well as the ability to deter opponents.

“Obviously, he’s a very effective player because of his offensive skill, and then he has an impact on defense. But you have to be in very good shape to do those things, and he’s working toward that,” Daigneault said, summing up: “It was a very good start for him.”

The Spanish center was amused by the reaction to his finish. “Yeah, I saw it. It was funny. They were doing the ‘finger roll’ gesture. I was just there, got the ball, saw the rim and thought I couldn’t even dunk, so I tried a layup. It was fun,” he said.