Aggressive Thunder draft pick confirms Victor Wembanyama's superstar status

The Oklahoma City Thunder took perfect advantage of their lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by selecting former Michigan center Aday Mara. He's another big body on a roster that already features Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. This sends a chilling reminder to Victor Wembanyama: as his stardom grows, the competition continues to get tougher.

Mara is an intriguing prospect. He's a skilled seven-footer (7'3 to be exact) who can defend the interior at a high level, blocking shots at the rim or slowing down offenses by swallowing up space in drop coverage. He also provides a ton of offense with his passing chops and ability to finish above the rim.

But what the Thunder have to love about him the most is that he gives them another option to contain Victor Wembanyama. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein could only hold him for so long in the Western Conference Finals, so Mara gives them additional help in that department.

This shows how dangerous Victor Wembanyama is at this point in his career

While the Thunder's addition of Aday Mara should keep Victor Wembanyama aware, it must be a bit flattering for him to know that teams across the league are stacking their rosters to counter his impact.

This isn't stuff you see every day. Rarely does a 22-year-old demand this much attention, forcing other franchises to dedicate a large section of their offseason plans to contain him. You usually only see things like this for more well-established players.

It shows how ahead of schedule Wemby is at this point in his career. He went from being a rising young star to the league's premier player to beat. Now, teams need to place heavy emphasis on size if they even want a chance at containing him and the Spurs in future postseason matchups.

The Aday Mara addition should force Wemby to continue to grow his in-between game

With Aday Mara on the roster, the Thunder now features three players who can provide rim protection. In future matchups, Wemby may have a difficult time making himself available at the rim for easy finishes.

This is yet another reminder that he must refine his in-between game. Operating out of the mid-post is a huge need for him now to have more diversity in his scoring attack. He can't just rely on overwhelming defenders with his size in the paint. When that's taken away, it's imperative that he can fall back on some face-up or back-to-the-basket moves.

If Victor wants to cement his spot as the best player in the league, he must be able to get ahead of looming threats. The Thunder are the perfect example of this. Sure, he handled them in the West Finals this previous season, but they're filling the tank with more options to slow him down.

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