Aday Mara makes Spurs' interior depth even more important in Thunder rivalry

The Oklahoma City Thunder are already sending a message to the San Antonio Spurs via Aday Mara. The rookie center has been amazing in his first two preseason games, and if this trend continues into the regular season, the Spurs' backup centers will have their work cut out for them when they cross paths.

It's very early, but Mara has been taking advantage of his opportunities. So far, he's scored 34 total points on a perfect 15-for-15 from the floor, using his size and length to dominate in the paint. This is even more intriguing when you consider that he'll be playing behind two other seven-footers this season.

This is the exact type of threat the Spurs worked to address this summer. If the Thunder can get strong production from their backup center, it reinforces the importance of Mitch Johnson's additional bigs, such as Luke Kornet, Tarris Reed Jr., and Jayden Quaintance.

Victor Wembanyama needs as much help against OKC as he can get

Last season, Victor Wembanyama had his way against the Thunder. He led his group past them in the Western Conference Finals while outplaying Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren with his dominant two-way play.

But the Thunder got tougher this summer, drafting Mara to boost their inside attack. The trio of him, Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein will protect the paint at a high level and dominate the boards. For Wemby, this means he needs as much support as possible from his peers. He can't handle this large frontcourt on his own, so the Spurs' newest interior additions must step up.

They must help win the paint battle even when the starters get subbed out. Once Mara comes into the game, Kornet, Reed, or Quaintance have to make life difficult for him by winning box-outs and beating him up on both sides of the floor.

It can't be a situation like the playoffs, where the Spurs struggled inside without Wemby, forcing Mitch Johnson to play him for an unhealthy amount of minutes. That won't cut it against this Thunder squad. Solid production from at least one of those new backup centers will go a long way.

Tarris Reed Jr. will have something to say in this matchup

Here's some good news for Spurs fans: this team already has a player who knows how to deal with the Thunder's newest center. Tarris Reed Jr. matched up against him in this year's NCAA Championship game, and even though he couldn't lead his team to victory, he outplayed Mara individually. He won the scoring and rebounding battle, securing 14 boards.

So Mitch Johnson already has a great answer to the Thunder's rookie center. Reed can utilize his large frame to neutralize Mara, limiting his productivity inside. Once he's healthy, Quaintance can have the same sort of effect.

We'll get our first meetup between these two teams in a few weeks, and it'll be the perfect opportunity for the Spurs to send a strong initial message about their size. But Mara is showing that he's up for the challenge, so they must come prepared.

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