Stories and analysis around Aday Mara, a real rising star in Spanish ‘baloncesto‘
“¡A lo Ricky Rubio!” (acb.com), “La torre de futuro del baloncesto espanol” (Marca), “La perla de la que todo el mundo habla” (sportaragon.com), “El unicorno espanol” (As), “El gigante ‘sin complejos’ ” (El Mundo), “Le Victor Wembanyama espagnol” (Basket USA).
It seems the enthusiastic crtics’ opinion about the most recent blockbuster movie, but actually it’s the stream of passionate titles which have showed up in the media in the last few moths, since the blossom of the Casademont Zaragoza’s youngest talent, Aday Mara.
It’s been a while that insiders are keeping an eye on such a great diamond in the rough, but Mara’s name has become well-known for real after his debut in Liga ACB and, in particular, after the extraordinary performance against Real Madrid, which we had told about too with great enthusiasm.
A sort of unicorn, a giant that still is so small, but seems a lot mature for his age. A teenager who’s attracting on his shoulders such heavy comparisons that someone is even paring him to Wembanyama, suggesting his possibility to impact, also mediatically, as a prospect in the next future.
The ‘enfant prodige‘ from Aragona bodes seriously well and he already showed qualities out of the ordinary for his age and position, even among adults. So we couldn’t resist jumping into the most deep research about his technical and human profile and we rushed to the discovery of one of the players which probably will dominate the European basketball (and not only that!) in the forthcoming decade.
Using a similar format to this summer’s one, we’ll divide our report in three different chapters.
- Data and career (page 1)
- Technical profile (page 2)
- Future as a prospect (page 3)
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DATA AND CAREER
Aday Mara, center born in 2005 in Zaragoza, owns a cyclopic body, which measures 220cm for 106 kg (as es.wikipedia reports), and has in addition an incredible wingspan (7’6, around 230cm).
The Aragona’s scion has in fact a quite impressive height, already from his young age, such that now he’s one of the tallest hoopers in ACB, even if he had turned 17 only on April.
Just like every ‘choosen one’, Mara can’t be nothing but a born into art. The aragonese center has lived and breathed sports since he had landed on this earth, as both his parents were pros at the highest level of Spanish competitions.
His mother, Geli Gómez, the luckiest of the two, was a top volleyball player in the Superliga Femenina de Voleibol, a tournament that she has won six times in her career, even gaining 4 championships in a row with Tenerife, between ’96 and 2000.
His father, Francisco Mara, was a basketball player and suited up for 5 games in ACB within ’86 and ’88, making his first appearance in the most important Spanish competition when he had only 17 years and 11 months, wearing the jersey of what at the time was CAI Zaragoza. It was the 13th September 1986.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, it’s the laconic adage with a bit of fatalism which is told by conventional wisdom.
On the 16th October of 36 years later, a young man at 17 years and 11 months will suit up with the white-and-red ‘camiseta‘, walking in his father’s footsteps.
But we’re hurring too much, let’s take a step back.
The small Aday tried in fact to deflect that future which now he seems so clearly destined to. His first love was the ‘fútbol‘, since he started to play between the sticks, trying to emulate a childhood idol like the legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The fact that he was good using his hands was already a great hint, who knew what the future would have reserved…
When he was only 8, that young boy was already 1,67m and someone understood that basketball was his proper sport. The little wonder boy took his first steps in what will be his lucky relationship with hoops playing for Basket Lupus, a mini-basketball team in Zaragoza. Then, it was just a matter of time for him to be recruited by the prestigious Casademont Zaragoza ‘cantera‘.
The Aragon’s capital youth sector is in fact working so well in recent years, cranking out a lot of young prospects with a bright future, including guys already on the rise, like Alocen and Pradilla, or guys who are still to be rough-hew, like Langarita and Mara.
The following ones are Luis Arabalejo‘s words, the responsible of the Casademont’s youth sector at the time the little Aday was recruited.
“We went to visit him at school. He was an head above the others. He was very shy, so attached to his parents as an only child. At the beginning it was difficult. We had to be a lot patient. We were all aware to have in front of us a great prospect, but for him it was hard to compete, to run the floor, even the contact with rivals. He wasn’t able to beat anyone in 1-on-1. We couldn’t let him fall in processes that would have cause him frustration.”
Luis Arbalejo, from El Mundo
The faith was all towards him, well paired with care and patience, – those are fundamental with a young kid – since it was already stunning his talent, evidently superior like that “head above the others“.
Today that head is flying above the clouds, high in the sky. Things, since the time of the shy little kid just discovered from Zaragoza, are really changed.
“There isn’t an NBA franchise that is not sending reports about Aday’s improvements every month. He has not limits, his hidden quality is competitiveness. He isn’t the typical gentle giant, he has creativity and personality.”
Luis Arbalejo, from El Mundo
One of the most highlighted qualities, and from so many different voices, that is blossomed right during the years spent in his native city ‘cantera‘, it’s the awareness he has about his body and about his physical means. His strong personality is very clear in a way of thinking that’s not assumed for these kind of bodies, those are so huge that they’re always at the fine line between appearing frightful and appearing ridiculous, like a freak of nature.
The tragedy about feeling uncomfortable, misplaced, the paradox of giants which make themselves gentle to not look like ogres, behemots that from their power receive only the distress to be different from all the people in the world.
In Mara’s mind, there’s nothing like this. He is, as El Mundo tells, ‘el gigante ‘sin complejos’.
“Everybody asks about him. He aroused everyone’s attention in the World Cup final, with all the self-confidence and perseverance he showed against USA. He’s a guy ‘sin complejos’ (without complexes, he takes things lightheartedly, Ed). Those who are this high usually are a bit shy. He accept his own body. He doesn’t care, he’s a joker.“
Jorge Sanz, Spanish U-17 assistant, from El Mundo
The nowdays ‘joker’ has grown over time, entertaining and having fun on the court, through a progressive path, provided for him by Zaragoza, which had planned for his development experiences in the fourth Spanish league, called Liga EBA, and in the second Iberic competion, called LEB Oro.
In fact, when he was 15, he made his first appearance with Baloncesto El Olivar in EBA, collecting at the end of the year 11 presences with an average of 6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game. The next year he increased his appearances with the adults, since he splitted his contribution between El Olivar, Casademont associated team in minor leagues, and the second league squad Levit Huesca.
So the last season he recorded in 6 LEB Oro games an average of 2.7 points and 3.8 boards, while his growth was explosive in EBA, where his numbers were 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 blocks per game and he had some performances that have really left a mark.
One of the most symbolic moments in the approach march towards the world of pros was a real destiny crossroads, about which in Spain they talked so much about as a very significant event. The last season, the one of Marc Gasol’s return in Spanish basketball with Girona, right in LEB Oro, offered the possibility for the meeting between the former NBA legend and Roja‘s front-court future.
Pau’s brother debutted, in his comeback after 13 years in US, at the beginning of December 2021, in a Girona-Huesca match. When the horse had bolted from a while, (73-38 in Catalans favor), Huesca’s coach decided to send on the floor the sixteen-year-old Mara and, even if the two shared the court for few seconds, this was enough for an historic picture.
A lot of people saw that like a sort of handover. The juxtaposition with the former Memphis Grizzlies’ player is uncomfortable for the 90% of athletes, but it tells a lot about the special way with which the Zaragoza’s golden boy has been perceived. Maybe in a couple of years he’ll remind the time when he found himself facing Marc Gasol in post-up… How much this picture will be considered iconic in the future, at the end of the day, depends fully on Mara.
While he was having his different experiences in FEB competitions, Mara had the possibility to show his talent in front of an international audience, in the classic ANGT games organized by Euroleague, Istanbul 2021 and Varese 2022, but, above all, in the Under-17 World Cup, that took place in Malaga.
If in the case of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Turkey he preliminarily showcased his game against two years older opponents, with really good numbers – 8.5 points, 10.5 boards, 3,5 assist and 14 of P.I.R. -, it was in occasion of the global FIBA competition that he was acclaimed with the biggest consensus, particularly from the overseas scouts. In that tournament his stats were 12.6 points, 5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.6 assist and 16.4 in term of efficiency per game.
Sixth for efficiency in the competition, in particular Mara has been in the spotlight during the hard-fought final match against Team USA, which earned the Spanish representative the silver medal. In that game he produced 16 points, 7 boards and 5 blocks in 26′.
Only great impressions in the experience that introduced him to the beginning of a very important season, the current one. Good feelings distributed, begging with international scouts, arriving to his own coach, Javi Zamora, the selector for the Under-17 Spanish national team.
“My experience with Aday this summer with the National team was sensational. He has great leadership. His tolerance for frustration caught my attention.“
Javi Zamora, Spanish U-17 coach, from El Mundo
A kind of appreciation that goes far above his basketball qualities, far above the unique talent Mara can express in a basketball court and about what we’ll debate later, here we’re talking about human virtues. An other substance, an other value.
“He’s a guy that love so much what he’s doing and in stressful moments, in moments where he’s facing adversities… he always has the smile on his face, he understands what’s happening and with a maturity so rare for his age. He’s an humble guy, very normal and extroverted“
Javi Zamora, Under-17 Spain national coach, da Diario AS
The power of a smile, the joy of the game and of the inebriated youth, but also wits, leadership, competitive passion: an epitome of lucid enthusiasm which cannot result in nothing but a prodigious added value.
Maybe it’s the case, a this point, to rejoin the narrative thread, with the facts about we were telling before, chronicles from the aragonese land back to 36 years ago, but for the record it’s appropriate to underline that Mara’s real baptism of fire in the world of pros has been in FIBA Europe Cup against Reggio Emilia. It was November 2021, Ponsarnau gave him an occasion in the insignificant ending match of the group phase from which Zaragoza were already excluded. For him it was the debut with the first team, he had 2 points and 2 rebounds.
But that’s only the foretaste, a sort of catwalk without great value.
The true opportunity comes to him around a month ago. Zaragoza doesn’t get anything right, the team is in full crisis and, with a lot of absences, coach Schiller decide to let him play against a very competent opponent as Baskonia.
We all hope it has been the beginning of something special. Surely audience’s clamour, the pride of wearing the jersey his father wore 36 years before, the emotion to step on the ‘Pabellón Príncipe Felipe’ floor as a Zaragoza native, made special a debut that couldn’t be more surprising.
Mara scored 8 points, with 4 boards and one three, a performance which gave heart to a whole community. His audacity was sublime poetry in motion on the court.
“Aday Mara had a remarkable impact in offense, thanks to his ability to play the pick and roll. […] when he gets the ball near the basket he can do a lot of things, he helped us so much in this aspect. At 17, he debutted so well.”
Martin Schiller, former Casademont coach, from Marca
His game was a perfect way to access an exclusive Golden Boy group, who were capable to have a such an impact at the debut in ACB at this young age, a club that become even more restricted if we consider big-men with that kind of height.
A first act on the stage that was seen by a lot of people as historic, but that hasn’t erase his duties as a young boy in “Bachillerato” age, the second level in the secondary Spanish school.
In fact, as El Mundo reports, the Monday following Baskonia’s game was immediatly the time to study for Mara. In the exam week, studying couldn’t be left aside, since there is a traced path to study Physioterapy in university, and giving up isn’t a possibility. It seems that in family they care so much about it and they’re not allowing the Spanish wonder kid to let his guard down.
However, it looks like his contribution is stabilizing more and more, even with the arrival of the new coach Porfi Fisac, who granted him 18′ minutes in the following three games, in which Mara scored the beauty of 14 points (these stats are updated to the article writing date, Ed). We talked already about the great exploit against merengues…
Now in ACB he won a lot of hearts, with that kind of contagious happiness and that childish face, that’s suitable to an ephebic Apollo. The fate calls him to a divine destiny, the Oracle of Delphi still hasn’t spoken.
Sources: https://www.marca.com/baloncesto/acb/2022/10/17/634cc46e46163fd7638b457b.html, https://www.marca.com/baloncesto/euroliga/2021/03/21/6057459e268e3e53638b45aa.html, https://www.elmundo.es/deportes/baloncesto/liga-endesa/2022/10/18/634d4f3be4d4d885348b458d.html, https://www.marca.com/baloncesto/basketfeb/2021/12/04/61ab5e81e2704e2d808b4598.html, https://as.com/baloncesto/aday-mara-el-unicornio-espanol-n/
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TECHNICAL PROFILE
Mara’s profile is the one of a center that, in a certain way, it’s kind of traditional, but, looking from the other prospective, it’s a lot contemporary, and for this reason he might have a bright future in nowadays basketball.
It’s surely a classic big for his body size and style of play, without position versatility and with a scoring dimension that have his roots in the inside game, while he’s with no doubt an up-to-date player, if we consider a bunch of so much intriguing characteristics, which we’ll try to clear up in the following part of our analysis.
Trying to sketch the traits of his outline, it’s probably helpful to find a comparison that can give us a more well-define picture of the player and to contextualize him technically.
Referring to our Spanish sources, that also have particular connections with the NBA environment, we want to point out how’s a player that’s universally perceived as really, really good, comparable even to a legend as the already mentioned Marc Gasol, for his reading of the game and his skills as a passer. So the prospects from their point of view could be that to arrive, over time, to a type of player that can have similarities with Jokic for impact on team’s game.
Again on the basis of those rumors that we have collected, overseas Mara is often paired with a profile like that of Walker Kessler, a rookie who’s doing good things in Utah Jazz jersey (here for who wants to have a clearer idea of the player). Obviously it’s believed that the young Spanish could be even better than the American big, although today he’s definitely behind him from the physical point of view.
If we move towards the type of athletes which are linked to his outline in Spanish and European press, with a more media-oriented prospective, we often find names like Wembanyama, Porzingis, Holmgren or Markkannen. Different players, which are all part of the perhaps inflated category of the so-called “unicorns“, basketball cyclops which do much more than stay around the basket, dunk and block shots.
My idea is that in all of these comparison there’s something good to preserve to complete a puzzle so complicated as that of a player’s outline, moreover if it’s so young and in continuous becoming.
Personally I think that with Kessler they’ve in common approximately the size, a good feet speed in relation to the height, the feeling for blocks and (for now!) the limited possibility to create their own shot. Definitely the American is more solid physically, but infinitely less good as a passer and, for this reason, less impactful in the offensive team potential.
If I can add an other piece to the patchwork, remaining in the Spanish basketball environment, Mara resemble for me, in the physical structure and in the realm of passing from the post-up situation, a prime version of Ante Tomic. In relation to the Dubrovnick’s giant, he has less experience and tricks in his bag, but also all a different prospect in term of offensive spectrum growth, defensive potential (rim protection) and that kind of thing that in Spain and surroundings they call “garra“, that suggest great hope.
OFFENSE
Aday is undoubtedly a really special talent, who can offer, both with his current and with his potential skills, very interesting chances to his team offense.
One of the preeminent possibility his game can present is of course his quality as a pick and roll target, a tactical circumstance in which he’s a reliable scoring source, as Martin Schiller told in occasion of his debut. He’s in fact a serious threat when he rolls to the basket, in cutting deep and receiving near the rim, as well as in playing short roll situation, a case in which he’s able to use his reading abilities or to punish the defense with his growing mid-range jumper.
When he concludes to the basket, he’s used to dunk with ease, near the rim he often choose this solution as preferential because of his height. Talking about his finishing, he has good touches in close proximity to the rim and, moreover, he stands out as a very efficient lob-threat.
On this type of matter, it’s proper to highlight as in some scouting report they criticized him for not having a so steady hand in converting bunnies (not contested attempts right under the basket) and, despite a decent athleticism for his size, even for an improvable vertical jump, since not all his dunk attempts end with the best safety.
It’s a different debate, the one concerning his shooting skills.
For the talent that he has, shooting competitively seems a natural develop of his game, so much that our Spanish sources expressed with confidence about the fact Mara will be a shooter, so he could be a really complete player, as Jokic is indeed.
With all this considered, this confidence isn’t always unanimous.
“What he didn’t prove in this tournament to be a viable NBA player is his shooting from deep. He made one three all tournament and that one shot banked in. He also was only a 55% free throw shooter during this tournament“.
Eric Guilleminault, NbaDraft.net, U-17 World Cup 2022
It’s undoubtedly an ability he’s trying to improve, trying to be more and more effective, and that he likes to use in particular in pick and pop situations, from the top as well as from the mid range, or an other example are his jumper against Baskonia, attempted receiving the ball dynamically after having run the floor.
“[…] judging from his free throws he does have a repetitive form, but his left hand seems to be engaged too much in the shot, messing up his accuracy.”
Igor Chytrzynski, Eurospects, ANGT Istanbul 2021
As it’s clear his shot it’s still developing, it’s also evident he needs to improve his technique and his form, but some steps ahead are already done. So far his shot is a bit flat and slow, but starting from the idea we now have formed about this guy, we can definitely say that Mara can grow a lot in this part of the game.
For what concerns the rest of his offensive spectrum, he runs the floor in a very promising way and he’s able to stay ‘patient and poised’ on low block position, ready to receive and capitalize his teammates’ passes.
Besides all of this, he adds a good fade-away shot, which is one of his favorite solutions and which allows us to shift our analysis towards his post-up efficiency.
Of course until now he has faced not so challenging opponents from the physical point of view, also and especially for his not so common size, but, assuming this, he has already showed a more than decent footwork back to the basket, with his good ability to get by the defender with a spin move, or to find the right space for a traditional hook shot, in some case even to use the fade-away we were mentioning before.
He’s very capable to keep the ball high, using his long arms to prevent his rivals from stealing it and he never loads up the defender.
The key in this aspect of the game for him is again the physical factor, because Mara’s body is still one to be built, in addition to a certain kind of toughness in contacts that he have to feed and internalize, with a desirable growth of his frame. Between the two ANGT, in fact, Eurospects has noticed that he has put on a few pounds, while he has still a lot to do about his stamina.
In conclusion, his lacking possibility to create his own shot is also linked with the necessity to give power to his physique, that’s why he often score ‘mainly thanks to good positioning, simple catch and finish situations’, and not with scoring inventions that his talent would allow.
His post-up dimension is still relevant, even if it’ll have to be implemented more, and that makes him a quite frightful presence for his opponents, because, joined with his passing skill, it weakens defense possibilities to stop him and dissuades to send helps.
So finally we can talk about the real elite quality of this player, that is at this point this analysis’ elephant in the room: his excellent ability as a passer. The success in this fundamental for the Zaragoza golden boy is recognized with unanimous enthusiasm.
For our sources, and not only for them, Mara is one of the best that we’ve ever seen, at his age and with his size, in the art of passing, and we find so hard to deny it.
Elite is in particular his pass from the post-up position, but actually he’s so good from many other position, from the elbow to the top, as well as in those great vision for that kind of baseball passes after the rebound, finding the running man in transition. A full-scale playmaking possibility that’s so rare and that, again, represent the Jokic vibes many people feel watching his game.
“[…] what makes him an interesting prospect is his feel for the game and touch around the basket. He reads defenses well and is an excellent passer as Spain at times had him play the point center role even making a few Jokic like handball passes.“
Eric Guilleminault, NbaDraft.net, U-17 World Cup 2022
For him it’s a natural talent, the epitome of his genius and refinement. A gift about personally he’s perfectly aware.
“Since I was little I have read the game well. That is why when I practice I always try to improve the passes that I am going to make the most during the games to fail as few times as possible”.
Aday Mara about his passing, from fiba.basketball
Always referring to FIBA, they reported in an article about him some very interesting data around what probably is his main virtue on the basketball court.
Talking about the U-17 World Cup, they report that ‘with Mara on the floor, Spain had a 47 percent better chance to create viable offense in comparison to him off the court‘. ‘Based on stats from more than 25 games with Mara’ that season (the one before the global tournament), ‘the expected number of possessions with Mara are expected to be above 78 whereas without him over a stretch of 5-10 minutes it could drop down to 67. That means with Mara on the court, his teams are more efficient in getting to shots earlier in the shotclock and therefore being able to produce more possessions.’
The impact of his creativity with the ball in his hand is clear and could be even bigger if he’ll improve his shot and his post-up game as far as the level of his gravity on the court.
“He has a passing skill set that you can’t teach. Court vision, eyes behind his head, timing and accuracy: it is great to spread the floor and kill defensive traps or help. Since Jokic we have not seen any other European international big as good a passer as him.”
Anonymous scout, from fiba.basketball
DEFENSE
For what we can say about his defensive approach, the premises are of course those of the physical aspect. As our sources underline, he can only struggle, paying for his 220cm, but he’s not soft at all, he’s gritty and his has a good timing in blocking shots.
This player has good balance and coordination, besides his large hand and light feet, he’s really mobile for his size and, what he lacks in speed, he can sometimes compensate it with his lenght.
His best defensive skill is undoubtedly his timing in blocking shots, which is surely supported by his very long arms, but also by a strong sense of this fundamental, and this give him great chances as a rim protector. Certainly he’s not switchable, he struggles on switches, because, even if he moves well, he’s easily exposed when he’s outside the paint.
“It is questionable how well he can defend an NBA level pick and roll as he rarely defended anyone above the free throw line extended.”
Eric Guilleminault, NbaDraft.net
Defensively in every pick and roll situation he finds himself into, he’s in serious difficulties and the team has to work hard to cover his holes. His speed and athleticism are what they are, since he’s so high, but he can get better a lot in limiting damages with the right choices and timing. I’ve seen him doing a decent show in defending Howard’s pick and roll, while on Costello’s pops he was an inevitable liability.
Parining him with a defensive and athletic 4, as it is Aaron Gordon near Jokic, and protecting him well tactically, even with a kind of Box-and-one for example, his rim-protector ability inside the paint can really stand out.
At last, in rebounding he doesn’t seem a natural talent, he doesn’t appear so hungry at the boards, the main part of the balls he wins under the rim he takes it thanks to his size, more than for his position or imposing himself in the physical fight. However, at least in his first presences in ACB, I’ve seen a good amount of nastiness in throwing himself to get offensive rebounds. Mara in fact, in the games played so far, has always forced at least one board under his basket and not rarely he had found an occasion to convert some point from the garbage.
Sources: https://www.nbadraftjunkies.com/aday-mara, https://eurospects.com/player/aday-mara/, https://www.nbadraft.net/2022-fiba-u17-world-cup-top-10-international-prospects/, https://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17/2022/news/spain-big-man-mara-passing-his-way-to-star-prospect-status, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgwyEtFAuBE, https://youtu.be/PWjuG4WvpyU?t=912
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FUTURE AS A PROSPECT
The end of this long path in the maze of the story of the most awaited Roja‘s prospect has to be connected with a conclusive perspective about his future.
What does it take for the Zaragoza’s scion to become the king of the Kingdom of Aragon?
The rumors we collected, those that we mention already a few times, said clearly that he’s unanimously considered in the top 3/4 prospects born in 2005. His future is undoubtedly the NBA Draft, but, with his unique body, it really depends on where he’ll end up.
Considering the kind of player he is, the matter is if he’ll find the appropriate franchise, where they could develop his talent. There are front offices that believe particularly in this sort of athletes and that, with the right fit, can select him even using a very high pick, but obviously there could be teams not so much committed in his possibilities.
Something similar it’s told by Eric Guilleminault for NbaDraft.net, in his opinion “Mara is a traditional center for an NBA that has become very selective about drafting traditional centers“, so now we can’t have really precise indications about what it could be his ‘stars and stripes’ destiny.
Looking up briefly to some American websites, they project him in the first round of 2024 Draft, at the very least in early second. Nba Draft Room talks about the 10th pick, The Resource Nexus mention the 19th pick, while NbaDraft.net puts him at 35th.
So his future will depend first of all on the context, but, even more, on the physical aspect, which concerns how good he and who works with him will be in building a competitive physicality, with also a decent dose of dynamism, for the NBA level. Our sources insist on the fact that this argument will decide how’s gonna end up his career, but they’re also quite comfortable in saying that, even if he wouldn’t be able to evolve this aspect in the right way for the NBA, Mara’s career at the highest level in Euroleague is almost locked. He has too much talent.
In any case, it’s true that there are some voices a bit hesitant regarding his possible endurance outside FIBA basketball, playing in a much bigger court – both because of the floor size and because it’s even larger with the more frequent use of the outside shooting – and again with a different physical and athletic toughness.
But they’re also as much voices those underline this golden boy willingness to work.
“Time will tell which is the ceiling of his ambitions, but with his character, his manners, his humbleness and his way of working, it’ll be high and in this generation he has to be one of the best.”
Javi Zamora, from Diario AS
In fact, in addition he’s evaluated a fundamental part of an intriguing young generation, the one of the Spanish teenagers. These youngsters represent a great hope for the FEB, and so they’re closely observed. The Roja selection looks towards them as a new brood of champions that, starting with Mara, includes Langarita (2005), but also and especially Izan Almansa (2005) and Hugo Gonzalez (2006).
Talking about Spain, we can also come back in talking about the present, and consequentially his near future.
In his Casademont now, what can Mara’s ambitions be? He can of course enter in coach’s rotation, he’s already doing that and quite permanently. Even using the correct caution in the modulation of the demanded effort, it’s possible that he can establish his playing time between 10-12 minutes per game, which could allow him to have better confidence with the ACB. The graduation is requested not only for the desire to not overexpose him, but also for the necessity to work on his stamina, his ability to perform on the court for more minutes, that is a growth area pointed out even from scouts in the past.
The one he’s playing could be a sort of interlocutory season, in which he can carve out his own role in a team that has had some troubles, but that’s trying to get back, and then maybe he could have serious responsibilities next year, that will be to one before the pivotal date of the Draft and that will tell us more about how much wide his ceiling his.
Mara, the Big Smily Giant. It could have been a Roald Dahl’s book, we hope it will be the most classic of the happy ending novels!
Photo credit: fiba.basketball, Casademont Zaragoza Facebook