sportingnews
The Oklahoma City Thunder, fresh off a lottery pick following a Western Conference semifinals exit, are seeing their accumulated draft assets begin to yield returns. This past summer, the team selected seven-footer Aday Mara, a player who had just captured an NCAA national championship with the University of Michigan.
During the preseason, the 7-foot-3 center was virtually unstoppable. His final exhibition numbers were staggering: 13.4 points, 78.8% field goal shooting, 78.9% free throw shooting, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.6 turnovers, 2.4 blocks, and a plus-6 plus/minus in 23.3 minutes per game. Thunder beat writer Brandon Rahbar called it an impressive five-game stretch for the No. 12 overall pick.
It remains uncertain how large a role Oklahoma City originally envisioned for Mara when they drafted him, but his preseason play has forced the team to consider giving him meaningful minutes. His production has made his potential impact hard to ignore, and the 7-foot-3 center has dramatically altered perceptions of his rookie outlook in just one week. Real expectations are now building for the former Michigan standout.
"The talent, the skill, both obvious as to why top Thunder executive Sam Presti pulled the trigger on the center with this lottery pick despite rostering a loaded front court," Sports Illustrated's Rylan Stiles wrote.
However, troubling news has emerged. Mara's NBA debut could be blocked by a legal dispute with Casademont Zaragoza, his former team. As first reported by the local newspaper Heraldo de Aragon, the Spanish club claims to hold his playing rights and plans to deny any international clearance until a financial settlement regarding his departure is reached. EuroHoops.net's Johnny Askounis noted that the case initially progressed to litigation and remains without a legal resolution.
The Spanish club has reportedly made it clear that it intends to keep Mara from playing until the dispute is resolved. That would be an unfortunate development for the Thunder, as Mara was emerging as a potential contributor to their frontcourt depth. Of course, it remains unclear how much time he could miss.
Oklahoma City opens the regular season on Tuesday, leaving only a few days for the situation to be resolved. If the dispute remains unsettled, Mara could miss opening night and potentially more time. This will be a situation to monitor over the coming days.
Originally reported by sportingnews.