My full take on Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz:
It’s no secret that Mara wasn’t my favorite prospect, but as I said many times my biggest hang up with him was trading 12 and 17 or other assets for him, getting him at 12 I’m totally fine with
Obviously he is a HUGE (literally) upgrade in the size department and gives us some more legit rim protection, playmaking out of the post, high feel for the game, quick processor
One of his biggest weaknesses imo is his stamina, but that can easily be mitigated with the Thunder plethora and variety of bigs. While I also think a lot of his production at Michigan compared to UCLA was he was insulated by guys like Yaxel and Morez, he will also (hopefully) be insulated by Chet and IHart, and even JWill and Sorber
Trading up for Stirtz was a tad shocking, but once you recover from the shock you realize just how Presti coded this guy is
Legit shotmaker, elite shooter, computer level processor, and what I think is low key his biggest strength for us is that fact that he is an Ironman
Everybody likes to throw around “once Dub and Ajay are healthy” and I agree, they raise our floor and ceiling tremendously, but the past 2 postseasons these guys have been fighting off multiple injuries so you can’t necessarily just assume they’re going to be available
Stirtz didn’t miss a single game in his 4 collegiate seasons, and last season led the entire NCAA in mpg which included leading Iowa to a deep run into the Tournament. Especially when you factor in that he is going to play a much more reduced role, and much smaller usage rate and it feels like this is the type of dude you can count on to be available
Was it the best possible outcome to end up with these two? Probably not, but both guys can break into the rotation day 1, and I’m excited to see how Daigz factors them in
Summer league can’t come soon enough 👀
Believe it or not, the Thunder's answer to Wemby is to just be healthy so teams aren't using two or three players to get the ball out of Shai's hands when you don't have other ball handlers. Having a stronger post presence will help, but being healthy is the number one answer. 💀
Driving through Ohio. Towns like this are why we’re trying to avoid the interstates and take the slower roads instead. These are the kinds of places we want to see. This feels like peak America.🇺🇸
Everyone I know, including family, I'll get questions about what Eddie is like and if he is the hilarious personality he shows to so many people.
The thing that always sticks out about him is how willing he is to lend a hand or cover anything the site needs. Team first guy.
June 22 just means more in Oklahoma.
On June 22, 2025 — the Oklahoma City Thunder brought home their first NBA Championship in franchise history.
Exactly one year later, June 22, 2026 — the Oklahoma Sooners end a 32-year drought and capture a National Championship
Oklahoma’s most recent national title in football and baseball were won by the same final score…
The Sooners beat Florida State 13-2 to win the 2000 National Championship in football.
The Sooners beat North Carolina 13-2 to win the 2026 National Championship in baseball.