How Aday Mara performed his method into the lottery of our newest NBA mock draft

Yaxel Lendeborg set a private purpose when Michigan began apply on the very starting of what would grow to be its 2026 nationwide championship season. He needed to dunk on new teammate Aday Mara.

“I attempted a pair occasions once I first obtained right here, and he ruined my confidence so rapidly,” Lendeborg stated after Michigan beat UConn within the title recreation.

Mara had simply come over from UCLA after two disappointing seasons the place he may barely get off the bench, and his dimension made him an inviting goal for a poster. Standing 7’3 with a reported 7’7 wingspan, the Spanish massive man had measurables few people on this planet may match. Realizing that Mara shouldn’t be challenged on the rim was just one a part of the method. As Michigan introduced in 4 new starters through the switch portal, there was a steep studying curve for everybody when it got here to learn how to maximize their gigantic middle.

“He’s positively probably the most distinctive massive man I’ve ever performed with,” Elliott Cadeau instructed SB Nation forward of the nationwide championship recreation. “It took a while for us to get some chemistry. We discuss in regards to the ball display screen actually each apply. We’re each actually high-IQ gamers. When groups play us two-on-two, we really feel like we are able to get no matter we wish.”

Your entire nation is aware of what Mara is able to now after the Wolverines accomplished one of the dominant nationwide championship runs of the final 30 years. There have been loads of key takeaways from how Michigan constructed its title staff, however the largest one is dimension. Lendeborg, Mara, and Morez Johnson all primarily performed middle at their earlier faculties, however shared the court docket at Michigan with resounding success. Every of them performed an element in making it work: Lendeborg flushed out his perimeter talent in an try and attraction to NBA scouts, Johnson confirmed the flexibility to defend all the ground and began taking threes, and Mara proved he may play on the prime of the important thing offensively as a result of his innate passing contact.

Michigan head coach Dusty Might offered his stars on his imaginative and prescient of the three-big entrance line throughout the offseason recruiting course of, however Mara admitted he wasn’t at all times offered he could be such a focus. He had motive to be skeptical. When he entered UCLA, SB Nation projected Mara as a one-and-one achieved top-10 decide for the 2024 draft after standout showings in FIBA tournaments for Spain. As a substitute, he rapidly misplaced his beginning spot as a freshman and continued to have a small position off the bench as a sophomore. Head coach Mick Cronin usually cited conditioning and matchup points for why he didn’t get extra enjoying time.

Cronin appears like a idiot now, as a result of Mara was legitimately one of the impactful massive males in school basketball. That’s simply the beginning of it. After breaking into NBA mock drafts once more halfway by means of the season as a late first-round decide, Mara’s distinctive NCAA event run now has him positioned to be a lottery choice. SB Nation had him projected because the No. 9 general decide to the Chicago Bulls in our mock draft after March Insanity was over. He’s additionally in lottery place on ESPN’s massive board.

Mara was maybe the only largest breakout star of March Insanity this 12 months, and his continued climb up the 2026 NBA Draft board is subsequent. He’ll have just a few issues working in his favor when he decides to make the soar to the following degree.

Mara has taking pictures contact even when he doesn’t but have vary

Mara’s scoring effectivity inside was absurd all season: he shot 68 p.c on two-pointers, 81 p.c on the rim, and 41.1 p.c on non-rim twos. His two-point proportion remained nearly the identical even towards top-100 and top-50 competitors, and even should you take away his dunks (he had 81 of them on the 12 months), he nonetheless shot 72 p.c on the rim.

His consolation within the submit continued to develop because the season went on. By the point March Insanity began, Mara was making a idiot out of even excellent opposing facilities along with his dimension and contact.

Mara goes to be one of many tallest and longest participant within the NBA from the day he’s drafted. Victor Wembanyama and Zach Edey are nearly the one gamers who can prime him in these departments. He might have points establishing submit place towards NBA bigs with the next middle of gravity, however his skill to hit child hooks and flip pictures offers him some actual scoring utility even when it received’t be the perfect a part of his recreation.

One of many largest pink flags in Mara’s statistical profile is his horrible free throw proportion. He shot 56.4 p.c from the free throw line this season, and solely 58.5 p.c over his school profession on 241 makes an attempt. Free throw proportion is a proxy for contact, and at first look it looks like Mara doesn’t have it.

It’s value noting that Mara obtained constantly higher from the free throw stripe all 12 months. Over his final 20 video games this season, he shot 74 p.c from the foul line by hitting 37-of-50 freebies. That’s encouraging development, and it comes again to the teaching he acquired at Michigan. Mara stated he was hitting his free throws nicely in apply, however lacking them in video games. Might began making Mara take high-pressure free throws to finish practices, and inspired him by displaying there was nothing mistaken along with his type. Finally, they began to drop when it actually mattered.

Will Mara be capable of shoot threes ultimately? He solely went 3-for-10 on the 12 months, however he instructed me he believes it is going to be a part of his talent set in time. He was simply doing what his staff wanted.

“I do know it’s in my recreation,” Mara instructed SB Nation. “I do know I don’t shoot quite a bit. Typically I’m dashing, however I do know it’s in my recreation. I’ve confidence, and if I get it once more, I’ll shoot it once more.”

Can Mara preserve his late season free throw contact? Can the three-ball be an actual a part of his recreation? These are two of the largest questions associated to his upside on the subsequent degree. Even when the threes by no means come, he has just a few different methods to impression the sport as a scorer.

Mara goes to be a plus as an offensive rebounder, which can work in his favor as offensive rebounding takes on extra emphasis within the battle for the possession recreation on the NBA degree. He’s additionally a giant goal as a curler, and his mushy palms enable him to catch the ball on the transfer. He’s going to be a dominant lob menace with an enormous catch radius. Mara in all probability received’t ever be a 20-point-per-game scorer on the NBA, however his effectivity on the inside, skill to generate further possessions on the glass, and big size benefit offers him some bankable scoring skill as he goes on his profession.

Mara’s passing skill is particular

One of the best sight in school basketball this season was Mara’s outlet passing skill. He at all times has his eyes up after grabbing a rebound, and he proved he can throw full court docket dimes to get his staff a straightforward two factors. He did it once more:

Transition offense is way extra environment friendly than halfcourt offense at each degree of the sport. Mara’s skill to throw deep passes with pinpoint accuracy is principally a cheat code for igniting transition alternatives, and it needs to be a giant a part of his recreation on the subsequent degree.

Mara doesn’t simply throw shops. He’s an especially artistic passer with behind-the-back appears and between-the-legs drop-offs in his bag:

He’ll be a weapon within the brief roll, too.

There are some moments the place it seems like Mara holds onto the ball too lengthy earlier than making a cross or deciding to assault. Faster processing might be important to maximise his skill on the subsequent degree. It’s straightforward to consider that ought to enhance with extra reps for a participant who by no means had an actual position in his school profession earlier than this season. Both method, Mara is without doubt one of the greatest passers within the nation no matter dimension, and the truth that he’s doing it at 7’3 offers him distinctive utility as he goes on in his profession.

Mara’s rim safety is elite, however there are different defensive questions

Mara’s size interprets most clearly on the defensive finish. He doesn’t have nice protection versatility, however he’s efficient in deep drop, and his size offers him a capability to problem pictures and shut home windows on pull-up shooters once they bail out of their drive earlier than attending to the rim.

Mara completed the 12 months with a 11.9 p.c block fee. Good luck difficult him on the rim. If a 23-year-old tank like Lendeborg couldn’t get Mara in apply, most NBA gamers received’t be capable of, both.

UConn’s Tarris Reed was in all probability the second-best participant within the NCAA event after Lendeborg. He had no solutions for Mara when he met him within the nationwide championship recreation. Mara’s size disrupted all the pieces Reed was making an attempt to do inside, and ultimately you possibly can see he was getting psyched out of even making an attempt appears he would usually drain.

That’s what Mara’s size and shot-blocking functionally offers on the court docket: he makes everybody second-guess if they’ll actually get the shot off. Being tentative for even a cut up second could be a loss of life want within the NBA, and Mara makes it occur commonly to his opponents.

Mara’s perimeter protection is extra of a piece in progress. He will be attacked on switches by faster guards who can separate from him with their first and second steps. Exhibiting a capability to defend the stretch bigs everywhere in the NBA might be very important. Can Mara get better to the perimeter on pick-and-pop makes an attempt? Can he keep sturdy on his ft when a ball handler assaults a closeout? There have been encouraging moments on the tape, but in addition loads of situations the place he obtained caught flat footed.

I requested Mara about his defending on the perimeter after Michigan’s Candy 16 win over Alabama, and right here’s what he instructed me.

“I do know I’m able to enjoying like a great protection exterior,” Mara instructed SB Nation. “I feel once I was towards Purdue (within the Massive Ten event championship recreation), I had like a horrible recreation there defensively. However I do know that I’m capable of to play protection and change onto guards or whoever has the ball exterior. Typically I am going to a recreation I’m not able to play exterior protection, however I feel like if I’m prepared, if I’m with a great mindset and with a excessive depth degree, I can do it for certain.”

Mara is a staff participant who needs to be a welcome presence in any locker room

I spoke with Mara within the post-game locker room after Michigan beat Wisconsin within the Massive Ten event on March 14. He had an outstanding recreation that afternoon, ending with 16 factors, 5 blocks, eight rebounds. I requested him how he’s developed extra consolation as a scorer because the season has gone on, however he instantly deflected the credit score.

“It doesn’t matter if I rating 20 or if I rating 4,” Mara instructed me. “It’s nearly serving to the staff win. The final two video games I’ve been capable of assist the staff by scoring. However perhaps tomorrow I rating 0 factors and I get 5 blocks, you already know, it is going to be all proper.”

I coated Michigan all through March Insanity with a credential on the Massive Ten event, Candy 16, Ultimate 4, and nationwide championship recreation. Mara was beneficiant and considerate in his media availability your complete time, talking to reporters for lengthy stretches in his second language. He instructed me getting higher at English was one in every of his prime priorities when he got here to the U.S. upon committing to UCLA, and he confirmed how a lot he’s grown in that space too all through March Insanity.

At one level, I requested Mara why he thought Michigan’s three massive look labored so nicely collectively.

“We’re not egocentric,” he stated. “We play for one another. If I see Morez contained in the paint, I’m going to remain out. So it’s not like I wish to get right here, and if Morez is right here, I’m gonna get right here anyhow. We’re making an attempt to do, I don’t know, various things, like transfer the ball.

“As we speak it was me. Possibly tomorrow it’ll be Morez, and the following day it’s going to be another person. I feel that’s what make us play so nicely collectively.”

Because the NBA strikes to extra double-big appears, Mara’s skill to play with different bigs might be an important a part of his attraction. Even with no confirmed soar shot, he is aware of learn how to house the ground by leveraging his dimension and expertise to assist out his teammates. He doesn’t care about getting the glory.

Dimension is in at each degree of basketball. Size is without doubt one of the most important traits within the sport. Nearly nobody alive is longer than Mara, and he additionally brings distinctive expertise and a optimistic angle to each recreation.

A 12 months in the past, Mara felt like one of the underwhelming gamers in America as he sat glued to Mick Cronin’s bench. Dusty Might believed in him and introduced out the perfect in his skills. His unbelievable March Insanity run confirmed the NBA he deserves lottery consideration. Given his fast improvement all through the season, it seems like that is solely the beginning as Mara continues to develop into his physique and his recreation.

Aday Mara’s NBA mock draft inventory is rising

Right here’s the lottery for the NBA mock draft we printed after March Insanity ended. Mara is already within the top-10. Don’t be shocked if he retains rising.