Oklahoma City earned its fourth straight win, and its rookie big man once again played a significant role. 

On Saturday night, the Thunder capped off their second back-to-back of the season with a 39-point win against the Washington Wizards. Moving to 8-2 for the season, the Thunder secured their fourth straight win.

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went for 30 points and nine assists, the story of the game may have been the play of rookie big man Aday Mara. Starting alongside Isaiah Hartenstein in the frontcourt, Mara made an impact from tipoff, scoring the Thunder’s first bucket of the evening and being a force inside to help Oklahoma City hold Washington to 36 first-half points and only 75 total. 

The rookie finished the night with a career-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Also knocking down the first 3-point attempt of his career, Mara hasn’t been shy to showcase his skill set to begin the season. 

Mara’s performance on Saturday is impressive on its own, especially for a rookie, but it also displayed part of why Oklahoma City should be able to stay afloat in the coming weeks and months. Without Chet Holmgren, there was always a chance that the Thunder’s defense would drop off, but Mara brings some of the rim protection and interior defense needed to ensure a high floor on that end. 

Through the first 10 games of the season, Mara has been one of the best in the league in that aspect, with opponents shooting only 53.8% against him in the restricted area. Contesting 93 shots inside the restricted area, Mara has the lowest opponent field goal percentage among players who have contested at least 80 shots down low. 

That type of defense inside will be key for the Thunder as they hope to remain near the top of the Western Conference. With Gilgeous-Alexander also able to use Mara as a lob threat or an easy find in the dunker spot, the rookie has already shown significant promise offensively. 

Given how well Mara has played in the first 10 games of his career, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be slowing down anytime soon. While the Thunder would love to have their full rotation of big men healthy, Mara is getting some extra playing time and valuable development opportunities in the meantime. 

Getting this type of production from Mara this early has been a huge boost for Oklahoma City, and Saturday’s game was just the latest example of how good he might be.