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Oct 20, 2026 3:03 PM
The Oklahoma City Thunder have proven time after time that they have no answer (physically or mentally) for Victor Wembanyama. Is the 2026-27 season when they'll finally crack the code?
The San Antonio Spurs will open up their season on Tuesday night, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in a marquee matchup. Heading into the year, all expectations point to this being a preview of the Western Conference Finals. Last year, the Spurs ended OKC's hopes in seven games. This year, the Thunder are hoping to bounce back.
As always, the team's efforts against the Spurs start and end with Victor Wembanyama. He and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are frontrunners for the MVP award. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper can hold their own on defense against SGA (that's not to say they can totally neutralize him), but the Thunder have no answer for Wemby.
Chet Holmgren was long billed as the premier "Wemby Stopper" in the NBA, although his lackluster Conference Finals outing seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. Isaiah Hartentstin can push him around some, but he's versatile enough to be anything more than a pest.
If the Thunder want to compete, they have to go hard at Wembanyama. They used the NBA Draft to do just that.
Victor Wembanyama to Get First Look at Aday Mara
With the 12th pick in the draft, the Thunder scooped up Michigan standout Aday Mara. Standing at 7-3, he's one of the few players in the NBA who has the length to defend Wembanyama, and his mobility is worthy of some envy.
In the preseason, he averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, about on par with his numbers in college. Unlike Wembanyama, though, he is not much of a shooting threat, hence his falling to 12th in the draft.
When Mara was drafted, the expectations were pretty clear: be the Wemby stopper Holmgren was supposed to be. Holmgren is pretty clearly a better and more complete player than Mara, but on Tuesday night, the rookie will only have one job in the (presumably) limited minutes he will receive.
If the Thunder can show even an inkling of an ability to slow Wembanyama down, then there is a very real chance that they are able to dethrone the Spurs in the postseason. For now, though, the ball is in the Thunder's court, and they have a lot to prove before the playoffs roll back around.
Tipodff is scheduled for 8:30 EST, with coevrage on NBC and Peacock.
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