Aday Mara to make first career start Wednesday

Mara made the most of his opportunity to start on the second night of a back-to-back and was able to exploit Washington’s injury-depleted interior defense on the offensive end of the floor while also pulling down eight boards. The 21-year-old rookie figures to see plenty of action this upcoming week with the Thunder set to play four times, including back-to-back tilts against the Trail Blazers before facing the Clippers and Kings. He’s worthy of a roster spot in most fantasy leagues based on his ability to impact the defensive end of the floor. He’s averaging 8.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.9 blocks through 10 games this season. That’ll work.

The Thunder will start Saturday’s game with a bigger lineup, with Mara starting and Jared McCain coming off the bench. While the production hasn’t been consistent, Mara is worth the risk due to injuries to Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

The Thunder are going smaller in this game than they did against the Cavs with Aday Mara heads to the bench and Jared McCain returns to the starting lineup. Mara will go back to being a backup center while McCain might get more minutes in this game. If McCain is available, he might be worth grabbing if you need some points and 3’s.

Williams will miss a second straight game, which may result in another start for Aday Mara. However, Mara got the nod against the Cavaliers, who start both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Mark Daigneault may opt for a smaller starting unit against Memphis.

Although Jared McCain is available for Monday’s game, the Thunder are starting with a bigger lineup. JayWill has replaced him, which should help the Thunder match up better against Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

With Chet Holmgren (knee) out for at least 8-10 weeks, the Thunder will rely even more on Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams (3/4/1/1) and Aday Mara (seven points, nine rebounds, three assists and four blocks) in the post. Of the three, Hartenstein is the safest option for fantasy managers, which is why he’s rostered in over 80 percent of Yahoo leagues.

According to MacMahon, Holmgren underwent a biological treatment on Friday to address a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee. With Jalen Williams (ankle/fibula) and Cason Wallace (shoulder) facing extended absences, and given Holmgren’s injury history, fantasy managers should expect the Thunder to be very cautious with his rehab process. Kenrich Williams should remain in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future, and Aday Mara’s playing time should increase. Also, Holmgren’s absence raises Isaiah Hartenstein’s fantasy ceiling.

JayWill played five minutes off the bench before leaving with a sore right wrist, and the Thunder have now shut him down for the rest of the night. His exit will likely result in more playing time for fellow reserve Aday Mara, who logged seven minutes in the first half.

Despite missing time during the preseason with a quad injury, Holmgren is not on the injury report for Tuesday’s season opener. As a result, Aday Mara may not get the minutes that he did during the preseason, but the rookie should still be in the rotation.

Mara came off the bench with Isaiah Hartenstein making his preseason debut, but he was still able to make a solid impact in his 19 minutes. Mara has been productive during the preseason, and with Chet Holmgren (quad) and Jaylin Williams (heel) having been sidelined for the preseason so far, there is a chance Mara ends up playing a large role early on behind Isaiah Hartenstein. It’s a situation worth monitoring with the regular season set to start in just one week.