RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Help has arrived. The Oklahoma City Thunder have gone all out to help Aday Mara. The 2026 NBA draft No. 12 pick looks forward to playing a huge role down the road. But first, the 7-foot-3 center must work on non-basketball aspects to reach his ceiling as an NBA player.
Fresh off getting hired in June 2026, Maral Javadifar has been sent across the globe to help Mara. The Thunder Athletic Performance Director has her first big assignment. Working together in Spain, it's important for the mammoth-sized rookie to work on his NBA conditioning and adjust to the league's fast-paced nature.
Javadifar is renowned in her profession. She had previously spent the past seven years with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a strength and conditioning coach. She was part of the Super Bowl LV team that bested the Kansas City Chiefs to win their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
The Thunder are putting a plethora of eggs into Mara's developmental basket. He helped Michigan with the 2026 national championship. The Wolverines dominated the rest of the college basketball world thanks to their three-headed frontcourt monster. Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg were also lottery picks in the 2026 NBA draft.
As advantageous as Mara's unique size is, he'll need to improve his conditioning to handle the 100-MPH speed of the NBA game. You can't have the Gatorade symbol underneath your sneakers after just a handful of stints. That was arguably the biggest takeaway from OKC's winless 2026 Summer League venture this past July.
From Spain, Mara spends most of his summer in his home country. This summer, though, he has reasons beyond comfort. He's part of the Spain roster for the 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. That means he'll be suited up for its group games against Portugal on Friday, Aug. 28 and Greece on Monday, Aug. 31.
It's been a life-changing summer for Mara. He jumped from college to the NBA world. Now, he's hoping to help Spain punch its ticket for the 2027 FIBA World Cup. His home country is banking on his continued development to be one of the program's cornerstones for the next decade-plus.
Meanwhile, the Thunder are focused on Mara to get in better game shape. He's admitted as much since he joined OKC in the 2026 NBA draft. Spending one-on-one time with Javadifar is a step in the right direction. Most player development happens in the summer months — as the downtime gives ample runway to work on your respective craft.
Looks like recently-hired Thunder athletic performance director Maral Javadifar traveled to Spain with Aday Mara. Likely to monitor his offseason progress as he works on his conditioning She was previously the Buccaneers' S&C coach. Mara is on Spain's FIBA roster this summer pic.twitter.com/kdo3orT6zg
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 23, 2026 This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: How OKC Thunder are helping Aday Mara improve NBA conditioning this offseason
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