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OKC Thunder 1st Round Draft Grades
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- OKC Thunder 1st Round Draft Grades
OKC Thunder 1st Round Draft Grades
(Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Tuesday night with the #12 and #17 picks in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft and exited with Michigan center Aday Mara and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz.
That would be an impressive coup for any team, but especially for a Thunder team one year removed from winning the NBA Championship and less than one month removed from Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Arguably the most talented, deepest team in the league got even more talented and even deeper over a 30 minute period.
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Let's get to the report cards.
Aday Mara. Pick #12.
Center. Michigan.
7'3". 260 pounds. 7'6" wingspan. 21 years old.
Draft Grade: A+
The massive man in the middle of the Michigan defense was the best player available when Oklahoma City took their turn on the clock. The top three names on my previous RoundTable entry entitled "Top 5 Thunder Draft Targets" went back to back to back at #9, #10 and #11. The next player on my list? Mara. So while I had hoped to see OKC draft one of his Wolverine teammates, the board did not break that way for the Thunder. Of all the prospects remaining in that range, including Nate Ament, Dailyn Swain and Hannes Steinbach, Mara was by far the best talent and team fit. Elite rim protection. Truly special playmaking for the position. Highly efficient scorer in the paint. Superb size. The only knocks are the lack of shooting and limited mobility. Even still, this is a player many analysts thought OKC would have to trade up to secure. The value and talent at #12 is a home run pick.
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Bennett Stirtz. Pick #16.
Guard. Iowa.
6'2.5". 190 pounds. 6'6" wingspan. 22 years old.
Draft Grade: A
Oklahoma City traded two 2nd Round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies to move up one spot and make sure they got their guy. Apparently, another team had Stirtz in their sights and were aiming to snatch the former Hawkeye. While drafting another guard may have come as a surprise to some fans, this is another case of Sam Presti wisely selecting the best player on the board. For all the conversations surrounding the Thunder's Western Conference Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the biggest issue was the lack of shot creation, ball handling and playmaking outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell injured. Enter Stirtz. He is an elite shooter and passer and a pick and roll wizard. Teams can never have too many players with the ability to dribble, pass and shoot and OKC landed one of the best prospects in this class who excels in the combination of all three areas. There are legitimate questions about Stirtz's defense, but his high feel, effort and IQ are reasons to be encouraged that he will be playable on that end. Offensively, there are no question marks. Only exclamation points.
