Thunder undrafted rookie goes off in summer league outing

In an 82-77 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Payton Sandfort showed off his 3-point range, as the undrafted forward is making headway ahead of his second season. After Thunder rookie Aday Mara had a nearly identical stat line as fellow first-round pick Bennett Stirtz in their summer league debuts, Sandfort took the lead on Monday.

Sandfort finished with 25 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including four threes, four rebounds, and two assists. He led the Thunder in scoring. Aday Mara added 10 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks, as Oklahoma City’s 12th overall pick continues to impress in his second summer league matchup.

After going undrafted in 2025, Sandfort joined the Oklahoma City Blue — the Thunder’s G League affiliate — eventually earning a two-way contract last season. In the Thunder’s regular-season finale, Sandfort connected on a career-high five threes en route to 23 points in a 135-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Aday Mara’s message to Thunder teammates amid summer league

Entering the league with a defensive prowess projected to contain Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, Thunder’s Aday Mara has big shoes to fill in his new future. Fortunately for Mara, who will be part of the Thunder’s second line of defense, he’ll learn plenty under the tutelage of veteran center Isaiah Hartenstein and All-Star Chet Holmgren.

Adding a third seven-foot center, the Thunder are positioned well to compete against the defending Western Conference champion Spurs. Mara, in the infant stage of his NBA career, is finding continuity alongside his new teammates, he said, per The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez.

“It’s [an adjustment] for everyone,” Mara said. “It’s for me too. I’m just trying to tell them on the defensive side, everything that goes through the paint, just let me get it. So we’re still trying to figure out that part. Same thing with the lobs. If you see me down there, you can just throw it, and I will catch it. Things like that. But it’s our fifth day together, so we’re just trying to figure it out.”