In street clothes to support their new team, Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins went to the road bench to say hi to a few familiar faces. After the final buzzer sounded on another close finish, the two one-time NBA champions dapped up their old coaching staff and other personnel.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell once again in a 113-110 preseason loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Once again, this one came down to the final possessions. And once again, both of their prized top draft picks showed out.
On the front end of a road-and-home back-to-back, the Thunder elected to sit out most of their roster. The top 10 rotation players, plus Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic, didn't even make the trip. Instead, it was Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and friends.
Meanwhile, the Hawks followed a hybrid plan. Nickeil Alexander-Walker suited up. But none of the rest of Atlanta's starters. Not the flashiest matchup on paper, but the game turned out to be a fun one. Especially if you're the Thunder and you've fully dove into the Mara and Stirtz hype.
With so many guys out, the Thunder tested Mara's limitations. The entire offense ran through his playmaking at the top of the key. Timely cuts by his teammates created slashing scoring opportunities at the rim. He stuffed the stat sheet early. Stirtz added on by showing off his scoring bag. A lot of his buckets came in the highly-difficulty variety. They were in a 29-28 deficit after the first quarter.
As the roamer, Mara showed off his shot-blocking talents. It didn't take long for the seven-footer to rack them up. He had four blocks in 12 minutes. That's an eye-popping number. Stirtz stayed up with a stepback 3-pointer that showed he can get his own bucket if needed. Even if Brooks Barnhizer and the rest of OKC underwhelmed, those two did enough to make it a game.
The Thunder tallied 21 points in the second quarter. They were in a 56-49 deficit at halftime to the Hawks. Remember how hard folks panicked over Mara's Summer League? Those concerns look so silly in retrospect. Not only has his motor improved, but he's absolutely embraced his bully-style of basketball. Amazing to see a modern-day seven-footer play like he's a seven-footer.
With a short rotation, the Thunder scored 30 points in the third quarter. The offense finally started to play well. Even if they only had about two real NBA players on hand. Josh Dix separated himself from the rest of the two-way players as his game was noticeable for all of the right reasons.
At that point, the Thunder had tied things up at 79 points apiece. You'll take that. Especially since Alexander-Walker was way too good to still be out there at that point in the game — as an aside, what was up with that? I didn't understand Atlanta's half-measure approach with this one.
The final five minutes were worth the price of admission for the quarter-filled crowd. Tied at 94 points apiece with five minutes to go, we're about to see some clutch-time minutes in a preseason outing — a textbook NBA juxtaposition. But hey, for the guys on the floor, it was their Super Bowl. Most won't play real minutes in the regular season. So this was their only shot to produce solid tape for their career aspirations.
In a scoring frenzy, Stirtz drilled two consecutive outside jumpers for the Thunder. He put them up 100-99 with three minutes to go. The game's pace picked up from there. Both exchanged buckets. Neither could create a lead larger than a single possession. Even Barnhizer made a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer amid the madness that had OKC broadcaster Michael Cage shocked.
Everybody was going 100 MPH. Stirtz found Mara on an alley-oop. The Thunder had a 107-106 lead with 57 seconds, but it didn't take long for the Hawks to answer back. Asa Newell cleaned up his outside miss for a go-ahead second-chance bucket. Fringe NBA roster guy RayJ Dennis hit the punctuation mark with a circus-shot outside jumper.
The Thunder scored a fast-paced 31 points in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks kept up the rest of the way. Finally, they blinked as Mara and Otega Oweh had a pair of game-sealing turnovers in the final seconds. You'd hope they'd be better in the high-leverage spot, but these are learning experiences nonetheless.
The Thunder shot 43% from the field and went 13-of-31 (41.9%) from 3. They shot 19-of-24 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 39 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Mara had a monstrous 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Stirtz somehow scored 26 points and five assists. Barnhizer had 20 points, but on 23 shot attempts. Dix tallied 16 points and seven assists. Oweh tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Hawks shot 41% from the field and went 18-of-51 (35.3%) from 3. They shot 11-of-13 on free throws. They had 31 assists on 42 baskets. Six Hawks players scored double-digit points.
Alexander-Walker had a cool 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jock Landale had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Zuby Ejiofor impressed with 15 points and nine rebounds. Dennis totaled 13 points and seven assists. Jalen Wilson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Kobe Johnson also helped with 10 points and three rebounds.
I mean, if there was any doubt, I think it's undeniable now — Mara and Stirtz are going to be Day 1 contributors. How that looks is up for the regular season to tell. But both look more than NBA-ready right now. The Thunder have about a quarter of their rotation minutes up for grabs after their offseason moves. You can safely pencil in both first-round rookies as claimers.
The preseason results are whatever. But Mara and Stirtz looking this ready this soon is a humongous development. Remains to be seen if that trend holds up Opening Night and beyond, but both guys are playing at their highest confidence level since they joined OKC at the 2026 NBA draft.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Aday Mara: A-plus
Dribbling the ball at the elbow, Mara went to work at Landale. The 21-year-old backed down the NBA journeyman. He banged into him once before finessing with a quick turnaround fadeaway jumper. The ball swished through the net. The 7-foot-3 monster showed he can do more than just use his sheer manpower to get buckets.
Mara finished with 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting, 10 rebounds and two assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 9-of-12 on free throws. He also had four blocks.
As soon as you think Mara-Mania has reached its peak, he continues to add fuel to the fire. This time, he showed he can be the main engine of an offense. Even if this wasn't a real NBA game. In their latest test of his abilities, the Thunder ran their whole show through him. They fed him the ball at the top of the arc. The added responsibilities didn't faze him.
Instead, Mara showed that he can handle the workload. He bullied his way to the rim. Several of his buckets happened at the rim. Rolling to the basket, he rewarded his pick-and-roll partners with assists. Safe to say that the Thunder have a real-life, old-school lob threat on their roster now. Expect them to completely spam that weapon throughout the year.
Not just that, but Mara showed off his touch with a fade-away jumper. Embracing physicality was one of the many critiques he faced following his 2026 NBA Summer League. In this game, he showed how far he's come in three months. Not only did he welcome it, but he initiated a ton of body-on-body contact as he banged down low. The Hawks had no answers as he enjoyed a parade of free-throw attempts.
Oh, and Mara hit his free throws at a surprisingly decent clip. As an aside, that might be the most surprising variable of his busy night. After all, he was a below-60% free-throw shooter at Michigan just last year. Quite the transformation in that area of his game. At least for this one night as Atlanta kept hacking him.
I mean, Mara is just playing in another plane of existence right now. His college domination has translated over to NBA preseason basketball. The next step is to see if it can happen when the games really matter. He's a cheat code on offense when he's around the rim. And his defense completely warps the halfcourt geometry for the opposition. Not only do you account for his shot-blocking, but his sheer size takes up so much real estate in the paint.
Mara has been superb in the preseason and the national folks are starting to take notice. The Thunder are on the precipice of another big-time draft hit. Something that this franchise desperately needs as they retooled the complementary pieces around their roster this past summer.
😤 https://t.co/Ei0FCOcYaDpic.twitter.com/rJ6rGzTtpT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 12, 2026
Bennett Stirtz: A-plus
Catching the ball at the 'State Farm' logo, Stirtz needed little time to put up a shot attempt. Despite Johnson on his grill, he drilled an outside jumper. Next possession, he upped the difficulty. He received the ball at the sidelines. After going further back, he pulled up from deep to nail another outside jumper.
Stirtz finished with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, five assists and four rebounds. He shot 6-of-9 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws.
It's a shame Stirtz is in Mara's shadow. On most other teams, he'd be the highlight of preseason for the fanbases. But because he's behind a giant, the 23-year-old is not getting the love he deserves for absolutely lighting up the scoreboard as one of OKC's hot shooters.
In a larger role due to the lengthy list of absences, Stirtz showed he can handle the workload. He was a flamethrower who torched the nets. I don't think you have to worry about any confidence issues from him. Albeit, that was a given considering he blazed the rare trail of going from a D-II player to an NBA first-round pick in just a four-year span. Now, he's hoping to help a title contender from the jump.
Stirtz did most of his scoring in the second half with 19 points. A dozen of those happened in the fourth quarter as the Thunder tried to get their first organizational win in five months. Once he saw a few outside jumpers go in, he hunted out his shot. Didn't matter how much space he had. He's shown he's comfortable at pulling up. Even if there's an array of guys closing out on him.
I think the Thunder have found their next designated 3-point weapon. Stirtz has shown he'll take any type of outside jumper. Not just the easy catch-and-shoot ones. He's also shown he's willing to stretch out his range if needed. That's proven to be a vital skill in the NBA in recent years. Especially with about everybody in the league being a plus-outside shooter. Now, the playmaking remains a work in progress. He gets a little tunnel vision with the ball in hand. But that's workable.
It's still preseason. That caveat is evergreen. But the Thunder are staring down the possibility of two fresh-faced contributors to their 2026-27 regular season. There was quiet optimism about that all summer, but I think these last three games have made that official. At the very least, Stirtz should be a bucket-getter off the bench who can get hot at the right time.
Josh Dix: B-plus
Relocating to the left corner, Dix received Anthony Pritchard's bounce pass in stride. He seamlessly went into his shooting motion and rattled in the outside jumper. Welcome to the NBA. It's about time that the 22-year-old showed something at this level after being invisible.
Dix finished with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, seven assists and three rebounds. He shot 4-of-10 from 3. He also had two steals and one block.
The Thunder added Dix as an undrafted rookie after the 2026 NBA draft. He was signed to a two-way deal. But in a handful of games at Summer League and preseason, he looked to be just another guy. Not really something you want to be known as with that status. Your days on an NBA contract are numbered from the first day you ink the deal. You have to show some NBA-ready skill from the jump or else.
In Dix's case, that was supposed to be his outside jumper. Finally, he flexed it here. He put up double-digit outside attempts. He continuously moved around the perimeter to find openings. He also showed off some of his playmaking. The ball zipped around OKC once again. It always found the open shooter. Just a really solid energy game from him.
Of the three two-way guys, Dix showed the most promise in this setting. You can see why the Thunder fell in love with his fast outside jumper. This is a step in the right direction. Before, he'd be hesitant to hunt for his shot. This was the first time he did that. And in the rhythm of the game, too.
Just look at that pass 👀😮💨 pic.twitter.com/0NSEyrS70A
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 12, 2026
Threeeeeee 👌 pic.twitter.com/4PV8HEdIJC
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 12, 2026
Keep the threes coming, Josh 🎯 pic.twitter.com/yVu7Sp2I1a
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 13, 2026
Brooks Barnhizer: D
It didn't take long to figure out the Hawks' game plan. With the ball funneled to him on an every-other-possession basis, Barnhizer had miss after miss. It was painful to see the 24-year-old get his one major weakness exposed at that obvious level. If he's going to survive the NBA, he has to be better.
Barnhizer finished with 20 points on 8-of-23 shooting, eight rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had two blocks.
Look, I like Barnhizer's physical tools and intangibles. His athleticism pops off the screen. He's incredibly strong. And he always says all of the right things. But anytime we see him play, it feels like we're just repeating the same talking points and seeing the same problems play out in real time. Can he get an actual jumper? Entering his second year, the answer remains no. And with a fickle two-way status, I just don't know if he'll be afforded the patience or luxury to completely rework it.
Barnhizer has a nice defensive baseline. Even if he can be a bit erratic at times, his motor is probably his biggest strength. He's always going full speed. Even if it's detrimental at times. But we just saw the latest reminder of why it's practically impossible to carve out an NBA gig without a suitable jumper.
Disappointing to see Barnhizer run into the same problems. Maybe he can figure things out. But the clock is ticking. You're only afforded so much time in the NBA. Especially as a two-way second-year player. Those roster spots see a ton of turnover for a reason. You either have it or you don't.
GET 🆙 BROOKS 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/zsrh0NI88K
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 13, 2026
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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Mara, Stirtz show out in Thunder's 113-110 preseason loss to Hawks