The Oklahoma City Thunder fell to 0-2 in the Salt Lake City Summer League Monday night after losing 82-77 to the Atlanta Hawks. Once up 20 points early, the Thunder saw the lead dwindle away until the Hawks pulled away in the second half.
First-round big man Aday Mara scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds with four blocked shots. Second-year guard Payton Sandfort led the Thunder with 25 points on four 3-pointers.
Zuby Ejiofor led Atlanta with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
Mara’s defensive brilliance highlights the takeaways of the loss.
1. Aday Mara’s Defense is Devastating
After a slow start on Saturday, Mara stepped up in the second half, but no slow start was present against the Hawks. The Michigan product’s presence was felt from the opening tip Monday night.
Mara was dominant on the defensive end, blocking four shots while altering attempts around the rim and forcing turnovers. He was strong on offense as well, scoring 10 points for the second consecutive game.
The only knock to his day was a 5:1 turnover to assist ratio, which was largely due to forced passes inside the paint.
Mara’s defense can win games for Oklahoma City when it counts, with his offense having plenty of time to grow with the team.
2. Sandfort Has Real Shooting Upside
Oklahoma City made a slightly surprising move by releasing Sandfort from his two-year, two-way contract before NBA Summer League began. Despite that, he’s put on a show to begin OKC’s summer schedule.
Sandfort has legitimate upside as a shooter, and he has showcased it every opportunity he has got. The former Iowa Hawkeye knocked down four triples while scoring 25 points against Atlanta.
The shooter was hyper-efficient from the floor, hitting at a 6-for-10 clip overall and 4-for-6 from long range.
Sandfort scored 13 points despite a more inconsistent shooting performance against the Memphis Grizzlies in OKC’s opener.
Changes could always be made between now and the start of the season, but Sandfort is definitely making a conversation possible with his summer league performance compared to other two-way hopefuls. If not in OKC, Sandford could still be a strong swing for a team searching for sharpshooters.
3. OKC’s Rookie Guards Exalt Confidence, But Struggle in Consistent Shot Making
Efficiency is the hardest attribute for a young guard to achieve, so early shooting struggles make sense in NBA Summer League action. Growing pains are expected from both OKC rookie guards, Bennett Stirtz and Otega Oweh.
Stirtz scored nine points on 4-for-14 shooting, 1-for-7 from long range, with three assists to three turnovers. The Iowa product was defended by fellow rookie Kingston Flemings for the majority of the night, a strong defensive prospect.
Oweh shot 1-for-7 from the floor, putting four points on the board. He played strongly on defense and drove strongly to the rim frequently, but could not capitalize on his rim looks.
Road bumps are expected from rookie guards, especially in the second game in their professional careers.
Oklahoma City returns to action tomorrow at 8 p.m. against Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz. The game will be broadcast on PrimeVideo and ESPNU.
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