How Aday Mara played his way into the lottery of our latest NBA mock draft

UConn’s Tarris Reed was probably the second-best player in the NCAA tournament after Lendeborg. He had no answers for Mara when he met him in the national championship game. Mara’s length disrupted everything Reed was trying to do inside, and eventually you could see he was getting psyched out of even attempting looks he would normally drain.

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That’s what Mara’s length and shot-blocking functionally provides on the court: he makes everyone second-guess if they can really get the shot off. Being tentative for even a split second can be a death wish in the NBA, and Mara makes it happen regularly to his opponents.

Mara’s perimeter defense is more of a work in progress. He can be attacked on switches by quicker guards who can separate from him with their first and second steps. Showing an ability to defend the stretch bigs all over the NBA will be vital. Can Mara recover to the perimeter on pick-and-pop attempts? Can he stay strong on his feet when a ball handler attacks a closeout? There were encouraging moments on the tape, but also plenty of instances where he got caught flat footed.

I asked Mara about his defending on the perimeter after Michigan’s Sweet 16 win over Alabama, and here’s what he told me.

“I know I’m capable of playing like a good defense outside,” Mara told SB Nation. “I think when I was against Purdue (in the Big Ten tournament championship game), I had like a terrible game there defensively. But I know that I’m able to to play defense and switch onto guards or whoever has the ball outside. Sometimes I go to a game I’m not ready to play outside defense, but I think like if I’m ready, if I’m with a good mindset and with a high intensity level, I can do it for sure.”

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Mara is a team player who should be a welcome presence in any locker room

I spoke with Mara in the post-game locker room after Michigan beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament on March 14. He had a phenomenal game that afternoon, finishing with 16 points, five blocks, eight rebounds. I asked him how he’s developed more comfort as a scorer as the season has gone on, but he immediately deflected the credit.

“It doesn’t matter if I score 20 or if I score four,” Mara told me. “It’s just about helping the team win. The last two games I’ve been able to help the team by scoring. But maybe tomorrow I score 0 points and I get five blocks, you know, it will be all right.”

I covered Michigan throughout March Madness with a credential at the Big Ten tournament, Sweet 16, Final Four, and national championship game. Mara was generous and thoughtful in his media availability the entire time, speaking to reporters for long stretches in his second language. He told me getting better at English was one of his top priorities when he came to the U.S. upon committing to UCLA, and he showed how much he’s grown in that area too throughout March Madness.

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At one point, I asked Mara why he thought Michigan’s three big look worked so well together.

“We are not selfish,” he said. “We play for each other. If I see Morez inside the paint, I’m going to stay out. So it’s not like I want to get here, and if Morez is here, I’m gonna get here anyways. We’re trying to do, I don’t know, different things, like move the ball.

“Today it was me. Maybe tomorrow it is going to be Morez, and the next day it’s going to be someone else. I think that’s what make us play so well together.”

As the NBA moves to more double-big looks, Mara’s ability to play with other bigs will be an essential part of his appeal. Even without a proven jump shot, he knows how to space the floor by leveraging his size and skills to help out his teammates. He doesn’t care about getting the glory.

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Size is in at every level of basketball. Length is one of the most essential traits in the sport. Almost no one alive is longer than Mara, and he also brings unique skills and a positive attitude to every game.

A year ago, Mara felt like one of the most underwhelming players in America as he sat glued to Mick Cronin’s bench. Dusty May believed in him and brought out the best in his abilities. His incredible March Madness run showed the NBA he deserves lottery consideration. Given his rapid development throughout the season, it feels like this is only the start as Mara continues to grow into his body and his game.

Aday Mara’s NBA mock draft stock is rising

Here’s the lottery for the NBA mock draft we published after March Madness ended. Mara is already in the top-10. Don’t be surprised if he keeps rising.