Victor Wembanyama is a thoughtful guy.
The San Antonio Spurs superstar probably spent plenty of time visualizing what the opening night of his 2026-27 NBA season would look like.
There’s no chance he pictured it like this.
Wemby shot just 1-for-13 from the field as the Oklahoma City Thunder handled the Spurs, 116-104.
Wembanyama missed all four 3-pointers he attempted.
The big fella did have 13 rebounds, six blocks, three assists and a steal, but he also turned the ball over four times.
It was an odd night overall that also included Wembanyama getting in a scuffle after his teammate De’Aaron Fox committed a hard foul.
But there was one thing that stood out as far as Wembanyama’s struggles were concerned — the Thunder have a new big man, Aday Mara, and he could be a difference maker in this rivalry.
Aday Mara on Wemby
When the Thunder drafted the national champion Mara out of Michigan, the first thought in many basketball minds was that it was a move designed for Wembanyama.
Mara is 7-foot-3. They don’t make many players as big as him.
But at least as far as the non-Wemby category is concerned, Mara also moves quite well. He’s a high-quality player to have on the floor for short stints when Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein aren’t in the game.
And on one sequence on Tuesday night, Mara hustled on the back line of the defense to block a lob toward Wembanyama, then went and caught a lob himself on the other end:
Mara, a rookie, playing in his first NBA game, blocks Victor Wembanyama at the rim and then finishes a lob on the other end. https://t.co/QjxFQakXm4
— Latif Love (@realLatifLove) October 21, 2026
Mara finished the game playing just 12 minutes. But he did score seven points on 3-for-4 shooting (1-for-2 FT) while grabbing two rebounds, dishing out an assist and blocking that shot. Potentially most telling: He was plus-9 in just 12 minutes.
It’s also telling that the Thunder had him in the game when Wembanyama was on the floor. Wemby played 34-of-48 minutes, so there was a chance for OKC to use its rookie big in an easier matchup. But Mara’s purpose isn’t easier opponents. He’s there, in part, to slow Wembanyama.
How Wemby Shot 1-13
The rough shooting night for Wembanyama is about more than Mara. It’s just one night, and he’ll have many great ones this season.
But the Thunder have seen so much of Wemby through the years that very little he does will be a surprise. He’s exceptional, but he’s also human, and he can be figured out.
It’ll be up to Wembanyama to adjust going forward. Every great fight has punches and counterpunches. The Thunder threw the first big swing this season, and now Wemby and the Spurs get a chance to respond.
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Finds New Nemesis While Shooting 1-for-13