The Thunder’s young big man has a chance to shine. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t had an ideal start to the season, as the squad is already riddled with injuries that are projected to last for months, if not the whole season. This means that other players are going to have to step up for Oklahoma City in this unfortunate time, but this could benefit OKC’s younger players. 

With key players not in the rotation, the Thunder are now relying heavily on some of their rookies to get the job done on the court. Not only will this help the team’s rookies progress quickly as they get real-time action, but it could also help the rookies get noticed as the season goes on. 

The rookie who could get the most recognition is Aday Mara. Mara is set to step into quite a big role with Chet Holmgren out for 8-10 weeks, and could start to shine in this Thunder lineup. In fact, Mara could showcase his skills so much that it puts him in the picture to make one of the NBA’s All-Rookie teams at the end of this season. 

Mara has played solidly for only his first six games of action this season, as the big man is averaging 5.8 points, five rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He has become a defensive anchor down low for the Thunder and has already shown his usefulness to the squad with Holmgren sidelined. 

The Michigan product might also be expected to earn this honor by looking at his draft placement. Mara was the first center taken in this past year’s NBA draft. Of course, the All-Rookie teams don’t mind leaving a center out to add another guard or forward, but the Thunder’s big man could be looked at in a league of his own once the end of the year comes around. 

For all this to happen, Mara, of course, will have to perform. The big man has shown he can be an unstoppable force in the paint and has amazing footwork for a player his size. He can also pass the ball tremendously for a center, and can use this to his and the Thunder’s advantage. 

All these skills Mara possesses could allow him to shine on this shell of a roster for OKC, and could see him propelled to more minutes and more chances to prove himself. If all this falls into place, Mara could find himself earning honors wanted by every rookie in the NBA.