Aday Mara Notches First Career Double-Double

Oklahoma City Thunder fans are looking for any rays of positivity or morsels of good news in the aftermath of the news that Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace both suffered long term injuries on Sunday night.

Enter Aday Mara.

The #12 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft had already become a fan favorite due to his impressive preseason performances. Mara Mania went to another level on Opening Night when he blocked a Victor Wembanyama lob attempt at the rim and then finished a lob of his own on the other end. Then on Monday night against the Phoenix Suns, the 7'3" center posted his first career double double.

The sample size is obviously miniscule, but Mara also notched a career high in almost every statistical category. He scored a career high 11 points, grabbed a career high 11 rebounds, dished out a career high 2 assists, swatted a career high 2 blocks and played a career high 20 minutes.

The Thunder will be without All-NBA forward Williams and All-Defense guard Wallace for a significant amount of time. Possibly the entire season. Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic remain out due to injury recovery. There are only 14 players on the roster plus the 3 two-way players. Quick math results in 10 healthy standard roster guys. Two of those are first year players. Which means Mara and fellow 1st round rookie Bennett Stirtz will be thrown into the fire of the NBA season from the jump.

There are always ups and downs for any rookie, no matter how talented or NBA ready. That will go for Mara and Stirtz as well. But if one or both of OKC's rookie duo can provide a solid 15 minutes or so a night, it will go a long way in sustaining the Thunder's continued pursuit of success despite the devastating injury news.

After all, this is still an incredibly talented team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the back to back MVP. Chet Holmgren is an All-NBA/All-Star/All-Defense selection who finished #2 in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Ajay Mitchell was firmly in Sixth Man of the Year conversations before being likely thrown into a starting spot. Alex Caruso is one of the league's greatest all around role players. Isaiah Hartenstein is a high impact two way center. Jared McCain is proving to be a sharpshooting microwave scorer. Jaylin Williams is one of the league's best bench bigs. Kenrich Williams is a seasoned vet that can provide winning minutes.

Thunder fans may feel down, but the team is not out. OKC is 4-0 and will depend on players to step up in bigger roles due to injury. And their rookie big man stepped up big on Monday when the OKC fanbase needed a win most.