Player Spotlight: Aday Mara - Spain's next BIG thing

NIS (Serbia) - From the very first day of the FIBA U18 European Championship, there has been a palpable buzz surrounding Aday Mara.

The 18-year-old center came into the tournament after a successful 2022-23 season in the Spanish ACB where, despite his young age and the high level of competition, he became a valuable piece off the bench for Casademont Zaragoza.

The hype, however, is not just a consequence of Mara's productivity, it's also due to his elite physical tools, his refined offensive skillset and his defensive potential; a tremendously intriguing mix which has prompted scouts to consider him as one of the top prospects for the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.

As Mara continues an impressive campaign at Nis, FIBA contributor Ignacio Rissotto takes the opportunity to dive into the game of one of the most promising big men in Europe.

OFFENSE - AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE

With Mara it all starts with his unique physical profile.

Standing at 2.20m (7ft 3in) with a reported 2.30m (7ft 7in) wingspan and a strong frame, the game comes easy for Mara around the basket, as he is able to leverage his size to establish deep position in the post. He possesses a tremendous catch radius, which allows him to catch entry passes, convert lobs and secure contested offensive rebounds with relative ease.

However, his impact around the basket is not just due to his sheer size, as Mara is also tremendously polished for his age. He's patient in the paint, routinely utilizing pump fakes to get defenders off position and his footwork is impressively refined, which combined with his coordination and nimbleness, allows him to find the open space in the paint consistently.

The touch around the basket is impressive as well. Mara is not just able to convert the easy shots: he possesses a great ability to convert floaters, layups and hook shots beyond the restricted area, generally against heavy defensive pressure. Just as impressive as his finesse is Mara's ability to finish with force, as he can routinely go up for powerful dunks against contact, both in post-ups and pick-and-roll situations.

Mara's offensive impact goes beyond scoring, as he's also a creative passer for his size. If Mara catches the ball outside of the restricted area, his first instinct is to scan the floor and look for cutters and open shooters in the perimeter. He possesses an accurate arm, which allows him to find teammates both in transition with long-range outlet passes and in the half-court with threaded passes through tight windows.

DEFENSE - A GIGANTIC SHOT-BLOCKER

Similar to his offensive profile, Mara’s defensive impact also starts with his massive size. The Spanish center is leading the competition with 3.6 blocks per game, which he is able to get with relative ease. With his size and length, Mara just needs to be in the right place at the right time to provide a level of rim deterrence.

Even with his elite impact, there are aspects in which Mara could improve, both as an interior and as a perimeter defender.

While Mara is a tremendous on-ball defender, who can successfully contest and block shots around the basket by simply standing near the rim while raising his arms, he lacks a level of elite quickness to elevate and he can be late to block shots that require him to rotate in the paint.

In the perimeter, Mara can occasionally get caught on pick-and-roll switches where he's clearly more comfortable in drop coverage than hedging and pressuring ball-handlers high, as his high center of gravity and lack of ability to turn his hips quickly can limit his ability to get low in a defensive stance and slide laterally.

While dropping in coverage could be a sound strategy to place him around the basket, an area in which he can maximize his defensive value, it can also lead to shooters having too much space and time to get his shot off.

OUTLOOK

Considered as one of the top prospects ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, it's easy to envision Mara making an impact at any potential landing spot. His mix of coordination, offensive polish and primary rim protection is as unique as his gigantic size and length. Any team will value Mara as a player with a tremendously high floor due to the impact he can make around the basket on both ends of the floor from day one.

Spain has seemingly never had issues with finding talented seven-footers. Over the past 20 years, the team has transitioned seamlessly from Pau Gasol, to Marc Gasol, to now Willy Hernangomez. When the next EuroBasket rolls around in 2025, it shouldn't be a surprise if Aday Mara becomes the next addition to that illustrious list.

FIBA