When Michigan basketball managed to secure center Aday Mara, he was but a second-year bench player from UCLA. The 7-foot-3, 260-pound Spaniard had even more length than Danny Wolf or Vlad Goldin, but he wasn’t expected to expand much upon having scored 6.4 points in an average of 13 minutes per game. However, once he got his shot, he thrived.
Mara managed 23.4 minutes per game and averaged 12.1 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.6 blocks. Even much of what he struggled with early in the year — outside shooting and free throws — became something of an advantage for him. He wasn’t just solid offensively, but defensively as well, winning Big Ten defensive player of the year.
His hard work paid off as he was the third Wolverine off the board in the 2026 NBA Draft, having been selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 12 overall pick in the lottery. He went after Morez Johnson Jr., who was selected by Dusty May and the Dallas Mavericks, and Yaxel Lendeborg, who went to the Warriors.
Mara left the maize and blue after the national championship and surged up NBA draft boards. Thought before the NCAA Tournament that it was likely to return to college for another year, Mara exceeded all expectations and became a certain lottery pick. His ability to use his length under the basket, both offensively and defensively, is a boon that should certainly help BLANK in relatively short order.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Aday Mara transforms from bench player to NBA pick
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire | USA TODAY Network
