Aday Mara shows out in OKC's Summer League loss to Yaxel Lendeborg, Warriors

Demanding the ball in the post, Aday Mara licked his chops at the one-on-one matchup with Lachlan Olbrich. He power-dribbled underneath the rim. Elbowing some wiggle room, the 7-foot-3 titan went up for the animated two-handed dunk. Nobody on Golden State had a prayer to stop him.

The Oklahoma City Thunder remain winless in the 2026 NBA Summer League. They fell in a 104-79 loss to the Golden State Warriors. That said, their top prospect finally showed out.

Mara finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had one block.

That's one way to shut up the critics. After Mara had a complete no-show last time — with folks wondering his long-term fit in the NBA — he reminded skeptics why he was in the lottery conversation for months. His best Summer League outing showed that you can't teach size. Especially when you tower over most of the NBA sans one guy.

Busy in the middle quarters, Mara flipped the switch as a scorer. He wasn't required to be a scoring machine at Michigan. Rather, he played within the flow of the offense. But in this Summer League matchup against his former college teammate, he asked for the ball deep in the post. A sight most Thunder fans have been begging to see.

You saw why their outcries were vindicated, though. Mara bullied his way to the rim. His size overwhelmed any Golden State defender. When that didn't happen, the Thunder finally cracked the code at throwing the ball up in the air on his rolls to the rim. He even showed off his jumper with an outside attempt and a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

Elsewhere, Mara had the chance to be at the wheel in OKC's offense. He helped with his secondary playmaking. He was also a monster on the boards. Something that's a must for him to improve on. While mostly having positives, the 21-year-old still showed he had things to work on. Such as his ball security. Can't turn it over at the rate he's had so far as a center.

That said, you're very encouraged by what Mara showed. After how bad he was last game, his response would be very telling. At least in terms of what his intangibles are made of. Against Yaxel Lendeborg — who's been showered with praise for his scoring output in this environment — he outplayed him in their one-on-one matchup.

"It's always great to be with him. Play against him. It was fun," Mara said. "He hit me with that three and then he didn't want to play defense against me in the post. I'm happy for him. He's doing well. It was good for him."

How Mara shakes out will be one of the more interesting subplots to follow on the Thunder over the next handful of years. Even though he doesn't have the most aesthetically-pleasing game, guys his size usually have a decent floor at the NBA level. You saw why in this matchup. He doesn't need much talent to go up for easy buckets and defend the paint.

"First of all, I'm in one of the best — if not the best — organizations in the NBA. They did great with all the young players that went there," Mara said. "I'm excited. These couple of weeks have been great with everyone. I'm excited to get there this summer after Summer League to work to help the team as much as anything."

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Aday Mara shows out in OKC's Summer League loss to Yaxel Lendeborg, Warriors