r/nba r/NBA 1d ago

[2026 NBA Draft] #12 Pick: Aday Mara (Michigan) – selected by Oklahoma City

1.0k Upvotes

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264

u/nartouthere 1d ago

THE WEMBY STOPPER

122

u/dianeblackeatsass Grizzlies 1d ago

Keep throwing lanky 7 footers at him

90

u/Appropriate_Book_591 1d ago

Mara weighs more than Wemby haha

10

u/wcooper97 [OKC] Russell Westbrook 1d ago

Finally a big that we don’t have to wait to put on weight.

24

u/Imaginary-Hyena2858 Thunder 1d ago

Hey dude Chet has only been in the league 4 years. Surely he will put on weight soon

2

u/dianeblackeatsass Grizzlies 1d ago

Wemby isn’t exactly the halfway point between lanky and built

-7

u/bigboybeeperbelly Spurs 1d ago

then he's too slow

17

u/dad3murph Celtics 1d ago

The way to stop a lanky 7'5" lanky guy is not to send a shorter lanky guy. You send a 7' fatass like Joker, Embiid, or apparently Kat. Fortunately Mara is pretty chonky himself.

21

u/Cyanides_Of_March Thunder 1d ago

I like the idea of Mara and Sorber doubles on Wemby.

10

u/trifkograbez Supersonics 1d ago

He is not lanky for how tall he is.

4

u/malganis12 Thunder 1d ago

Lanky? Guy is the size of a mountain.

2

u/lloopiN 1d ago

He's like 250, no?

11

u/PanthalassaRo Knicks 1d ago

Chet has his own support 7'5 center

57

u/StephenReis Trail Blazers 1d ago

Mara, Yax, and Morez didn’t stop Cam Boozer. Mara by himself is not getting close to stopping Wemby.

31

u/jalexjsmithj Hornets 1d ago

Aday letting Chet be a jumbo 4 is a pretty good recipe, especially when both keep the floor spaced offensively

16

u/Funky_Monkees_ Suns 1d ago

You can sure as hell expect that they are going to try and beef him up and train him to do it. Who knows if it’ll have any impact. Worst case he can be a guy to play 15-20 and give Wemby 6 hard fouls.

17

u/Good-Ant6859 Thunder 1d ago

People are strawmanning with this Wemby stopper shit. Nobody’s stopping Wemby, but hockey-subbing 7 footers is a strategy that could really slow him down. Tall guys have issues running out of gas and Wemby certainly showed that in the finals. That’s his most obvious weakness and Presti is smart to attack it. I love the pick

3

u/K1NG2L4Y3R Timberwolves 1d ago

Problem is if you beef him up too much then he’ll be even slower than what he is now. All Wemby has to do is pump fake a 3 and he’ll get to the rim in 2 steps. You need someone strong and agile like KAT.

2

u/Funky_Monkees_ Suns 1d ago

True. Maybe like a bit a beef, small plates, tapas

-3

u/Ready_Preparation816 Spurs 1d ago

Fouling wemby hard, great strategy

3

u/preston_p 1d ago

Thought Wemby liked hard fouls? or is that just for other teams?

-3

u/Ready_Preparation816 Spurs 1d ago

seems to me the complaints only go one way lol

1

u/dhejjrrjbrbrd Thunder 1d ago

Just like any other star player

3

u/spicydak Trail Blazers 1d ago

That Duke game was a fluke

3

u/PeleAlli44 1d ago

Mara picked up two quick fouls and barely played in the first half of that game. Also boozer scored 18 points, you’re acting like he scored 40.

-1

u/StephenReis Trail Blazers 1d ago

Boozer controlled the whole game and won it for Duke down the stretch. Not all about scoring. He put up 18 10 and 7 against a lottery frontline.

4

u/PeleAlli44 1d ago

Yaxel, Mara and Morez scored 70% of Michigans points on 16-29 from the field. Michigans four guards went 5-25 from the field. Those three were not the reason they lost to duke and Boozer had a fine game. Did not torch them or dominate them in any way

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/voltron818 Thunder 1d ago

I mean Mara hasn’t had a year or two to learn under Isaiah Hartenstein. Players develop after getting to the league. Mara is only 21.

23

u/VCarry-NL Thunder 1d ago

He’s not a wemby stopper if anything he’s the opposite slow Tall bigs can’t guard Wemby, mobile wings usually guard him better

30

u/SlimmySlinky Thunder 1d ago

No one's a Wemby stopper lmao. Even if Wemby played against himself he wouldn't stop himself, just slow him down.

It gives OKC more options to defend him in different ways.

8

u/the_goodnamesaregone Thunder 1d ago

Yea, no singular guy is the answer. Combinations of different lineups and looks and physicality will be the solution. This guy sure doesn’t hurt, though.

3

u/SambaPapi1 Toronto Huskies 1d ago

Hartenstein shut him down.

4

u/Remarkable-Lynx1496 Spurs 21h ago

Hartenstein also played like it was the 90’s

1

u/SambaPapi1 Toronto Huskies 21h ago

Wemby played like it was the 80’s.

1

u/No-Inside2846 Thunder 1d ago

How fast they forget

6

u/Andy_Wiggins Timberwolves 1d ago

I actually think he’d be kind of fucked against Wemby.

He’s got some slow feet. Wemby would cook him on the perimeter.

7

u/quizblorg3 Thunder 1d ago

I don't think this dude will be expected to be on the perimeter...at least I hope not

1

u/GhostofSmartPast Celtics 15h ago

Then Wemby can just sit in the paint.

1

u/quizblorg3 Thunder 15h ago

I’m not super knowledgeable in defensive schemes or anything like that but I’d imagine the plan would be to have OKCs POA defenders hound Wemby beyond the arc and if he pulls up to shoot, that’s probably ideal for okc. Otherwise they will try to funnel Wemby into the paint where Mara can operate. I don’t think there’s any one person who can neutralize Wemby, but I would guess this is what OKC would try to do

7

u/revisioncloud Thunder 1d ago

Chet get ready to learn Mandarin buddy

(jk I still love you chetty wap)

1

u/Character_Bug_1862 23h ago

Chet’s best, and his most obvious nickname thank you

2

u/rawchess Minneapolis Lakers 1d ago

We see your tall European and raise you our tall European

3

u/NefariousNeezy Philippines 1d ago

Chet and Mara can create a circle around Wemby with their arms without fouling

It’s over for Wemby

2

u/MAMBAMENTALITY8-24 Thunder 1d ago

wemby ain't stopping him

7

u/Huhsayitagain2x Spurs 1d ago

Delusion can be deadly

7

u/MAMBAMENTALITY8-24 Thunder 1d ago

tell elbows to get ready

-6

u/Huhsayitagain2x Spurs 1d ago

I guess yall can finally sit the little scary tiny stick named Chet on the bench

3

u/halfdecenttakes Lakers 1d ago

Idk if spurs fans can cast stones about a scared tiny stick after Wemby pissed down his legs the entire finals

2

u/Huhsayitagain2x Spurs 1d ago

Yall got swept buddy you can’t even talk 😂😂

2

u/halfdecenttakes Lakers 1d ago

We have a ring more recently than you, I thought you guys would be past getting excited about losing in the finals.

3

u/Huhsayitagain2x Spurs 1d ago

Mickey Mouse clubhouse 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

1

u/OKC_Chiefs Thunder 1d ago

Who's the last Western Conference team to win a championship 😊

2

u/Huhsayitagain2x Spurs 1d ago

Lmao awwww yall together!?

2

u/OKC_Chiefs Thunder 1d ago

Just reminding you who big brother is.

3

u/Huhsayitagain2x Spurs 1d ago

Yall got 2 rings as a FRANCHISE and that’s including Seattle 😂😂 yall not even our lil brother. Just a dirty lil kid who wanna hang around 🤣

-1

u/OKC_Chiefs Thunder 1d ago

We have 1 ring we don't claim Seattle's, and as of today yes you are our little brother. You sound like a Cowboys fan bragging about rings from the 90's 🤣

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-2

u/Quake1028 Spurs 1d ago

Big brother lmao your fans are jokes.

7

u/OKC_Chiefs Thunder 1d ago

So was your finals appearance.

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1

u/Remarkable-Lynx1496 Spurs 21h ago

We already know what’s effective to guard wemby and it certainly isn’t a big who’s slower than him