After several years with relatively few Spanish players making an impact in the NBA, with Santi Aldama among the few bright spots, Spanish basketball has fresh reasons for optimism. A new generation of players looks ready to make its mark on the world’s strongest basketball league and, perhaps, help usher in another golden era for the national team.
Three newcomers, three rookies and three players with very different strengths. Aday Mara, Sergio de Larrea and Baba Miller have all taken their first steps in the NBA, and now is a good opportunity to assess their early performances, examine their situations and consider what the future might hold.
Aday Mara, Oklahoma City’s towering rookie
Standing 2.21 metres tall, Aday Mara brings considerable size to Oklahoma City’s frontcourt. The Thunder knew what they were looking for when they selected him in the draft. Beyond adding another talented prospect, they wanted a big man capable of strengthening their defence against opponents such as Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, particularly in a potential play-off series.
Early expectations are one thing, but Mara has already begun to deliver on the court. The young Spaniard has made a positive contribution whenever he has been given minutes during the opening weeks of the season.
An impactful start against Wembanyama
Mara could hardly have asked for a better introduction to the NBA. Playing away against the Spurs, he showed no signs of nerves, producing one of the highlights of the night when he blocked Wembanyama’s shot before finishing the subsequent fast break with a dunk. It was an impressive way to announce his arrival.
Beyond that eye-catching moment, Mara has already shown how much he can contribute at both ends of the court. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has praised his screening, passing instincts, hands and finishing ability around the basket.
Daigneault has also highlighted the trust Mara has earned from his teammates, particularly the willingness of more experienced players to feed him in the post even when plays are not specifically drawn up for him.
That confidence has helped Mara establish himself as a regular part of Oklahoma City’s rotation, particularly with the team dealing with several injuries. Chet Holmgren’s expected absence of around two months could create further opportunities for the Spanish centre.
While the Thunder would obviously prefer to have their players healthy, the situation gives Mara additional minutes to develop his game. His early-season usage rate of around 19 per cent, according to Basketball-Reference, also suggests he is being given opportunities to contribute offensively.
Could Mara become even more important following Williams’ injury?
This is another factor worth considering. Oklahoma City’s main objective remains winning another NBA championship, and Mara could play an important role in those ambitions, both on the court and potentially in the team’s roster decisions.
Following Jalen Williams’ serious injury, there has been speculation about whether the Thunder should pursue another ball handler or shot creator. With further injuries complicating matters, the front office may have to consider reshaping the squad.
One possibility discussed is moving Isaiah Hartenstein, who is earning around $23 million this season and $25 million next year. Such a move could create financial flexibility, particularly if Oklahoma City believe Mara can provide reliable cover for Holmgren at centre.
And the rookie’s early numbers offer some encouragement.
Through his first five appearances, Mara averaged 5.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, one assist and 1.4 blocks in 15.8 minutes per game. He has already shown considerable promise as a rim protector, with a blocks-per-minute rate that compares favourably with most of his teammates.
The comparison with Holmgren is particularly interesting. That does not mean Mara is currently the better player, nor that he could immediately replace everything Holmgren provides. However, having a young centre capable of offering similar defensive qualities at a much lower salary gives Oklahoma City more flexibility.
Mara’s early net rating of +2.9, compared with Hartenstein’s +2.1, is another encouraging sign, although the sample size is far too small to draw firm conclusions.
A promising future ahead
There is no need to get carried away, but Mara’s prospects look encouraging. His combination of size, mobility and defensive ability gives him a strong foundation, while his situation in Oklahoma City offers valuable opportunities for development.
It is still early in the season, but he has already shown that he can contribute to a team with championship ambitions and a two-time MVP on its roster.
He is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Sergio de Larrea, 360-degree vision in Dallas
Dallas likes real point guards. Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Luka Doncic, now Kyrie Irving… Watching them field a true ‘one’, the type who knows how to get others playing and likes to set the tempo of the game, has been a constant for many years, so it is no surprise that they have bet so seriously on Sergio de Larrea.
The point guard from Valladolid, currently injured, was always convinced about making the leap to the NBA despite interest from half of Europe –including Real Madrid– and time is proving him right, with Dusty May (the Mavericks coach) not hesitating to put his trust in him as a rookie who can contribute right away.
Under Kyrie Irving’s wing
‘Larry’s’ role with the 2026-27 Mavs is not that of someone who must, but of someone who can. No miracles are asked of him –although he nailed 21 points in his third appearance–, just that he knows his place and is able to soak everything up in order to grow and gradually take on a more important role in the Texans’ system.
In that development, he is lucky enough to share his day-to-day with one of the best players of the 21st century, a Kyrie Irving who has made a spectacular return after his serious injury and who should be an essential reference point for learning the NBA trade, as he has plenty of experience in Europe; he did, after all, reach the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four with Valencia Basket.
The point is that Dallas are giving him the ideal role to keep improving without pressure. His usage rate is 18.8 per cent, but for now he remains a deep bench option, one who is in any case making a more than pleasing impression at the start of the season.
“He has earned more and more of our trust. He has an excellent mentality every day. And in terms of competitiveness he is similar to Cooper Flagg,” explains Dusty May, Dallas head coach.
Because first impressions count
In the small sample that October provides, De Larrea is averaging 5.3 points, 2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.6 minutes per night, numbers that in any case owe a lot to the game against the Spurs in which he played 33 minutes, as we can see below.
The most positive thing is that he has seized the opportunity with both hands. On 24 October he started on the bench, which did not stop him finishing as Dallas’ top scorer, including going 3 of 4 from three. That last detail is far from trivial, because beyond being a better or worse playmaker, he will be required to be reliable from the three-point line, which is indispensable in today’s NBA.
And he is also a player who knows how to alternate between creating for himself and for others. His 58.3 per cent true shooting is a good sign, and he also stands at 1.25 assists per turnover. Obviously he has work ahead of him (a lot of it), but he has already said in Texas, ‘here I am’.
Baba Miller, athleticism for the Clippers
He is perhaps the most modern-NBA player of the new Spanish crop. Baba Miller is huge. He is 2.11 metres tall, with very long arms and an athleticism that makes him an ideal player for the basketball currently played in the American league.
It is not just us saying so. His coach at the Clippers, Tyronn Lue, has not tired of highlighting his versatility and the possibility of him being effective in several positions, above all in the paint protecting the rim. A second-round pick? Call it what you like, but it is impossible not to think positively.
Made for today’s NBA
The Angelenos were clear about it from the first moment and Baba Miller is not disappointing in the slightest. They signed him for four years (two guaranteed) and the Spaniard is repaying them with an immediate impact. Because if one thing stands out in the game of the player from Mallorca, it is that he does not need minutes to find his rhythm: he steps onto the floor and starts producing straight away. Here is his latest display against the Lakers.
That was a single game, but what Miller brings to the Clippers is a constant. We are talking about an average of just 2 points and 3 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game, but we are not here to dwell on what we see, but to think about what we could see, and yes, that is where the 22-year-old Spaniard takes flight.
Doing a similar exercise to the one for Aday Mara, Miller, projected to 36 minutes, would be the Clippers’ top rebounder with an average of 13.7, leaving second-placed Isaiah Jackson, who would stand at 9.3, far behind. Of course, that is a projection that would never play out exactly, but it explains what he could do on the court. And we have more points in our man’s favour, as he has the highest pace on the roster.
He rebounds, he runs, he finishes above the rim. Baba Miller has everything physically to make a career and Tyronn Lue knows it, which is why he is determined to bring out the best in him. The coach has said he understands he can share the floor with Isaiah Jackson or Brook Lopez, but in any case he seems clear on the Spaniard’s position. “I like him more as a five.”
Making the most of the punishment
Context always counts, and in this case more than ever. Baba Miller has arrived at the Clippers just when the NBA has sanctioned them with five years without being able to pick in the first round of the draft. As a result, they are obliged to bet on the young players they currently have, as Antoni Daimiel recently pointed out.
“He has been quite fortunate on paper with the team that picked him. The Clippers have been punished with five consecutive years without being able to pick in the first round of the draft. If there is anyone they have to trust over these next five years, it is their young players,” he says.
So we hope he has a notable career with the Californian franchise; though not by relying entirely on his athletic potential. The 29 per cent from three with which he ended his time in the NCAA obliges him to work hard on that aspect of his game, but we are convinced that he will.
A new crop that inspires excitement
We can say no less. It is obvious that none of the three named –Aday Mara, Sergio de Larrea and Baba Miller– arrive in the NBA as stars, but they do arrive with something special that sets them apart.
This is not about playing fortune-teller –all scenarios are open–, but the possibility that they settle in and make their way is very real, as the teams they are at have a great reason to trust them, especially seeing how well they are doing. We will keep you informed.
(Photograph by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
