Aday Mara’s height puts Michigan’s NBA dreams first

Michigan’s 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, listed at 260 pounds, is drawing early draft attention after anchoring the Wolverines to their first NCAA championship since 1989. He leads a smaller pool of top big men entering the NBA draft first round Tuesday night, wi

The first thing scouts clock about Aday Mara is the obvious one: at 7-foot-3, he doesn’t just show up in Michigan lineups—he occupies space.

That size helped carry the Wolverines to their first NCAA championship since 1989. Now Mara is a lottery prospect in the NBA draft, headlining a position group with a shorter line of top players compared to guards and forwards heading into the first round Tuesday night.

Mara projects as a defensive force. At the combine, he led all players measured in standing reach (9-9) and ranked second in wingspan (7-6). His production backed up the body. He averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists, and ranked sixth nationally in blocks (2.6) in 23.4 minutes. He shot 66.8% overall.

Synergy charted a clear pattern in how he got involved: post-ups made up 34.8% of his possession usage. He did steady work as the roller in pick-and-roll scenarios and as a cutter, and Synergy gave him an “Excellent” rating for finishing at the rim, at the 97th percentile.

When the stage got bigger, so did he. Mara stood out in Michigan’s Final Four romp against fellow No. 1 seed Arizona with a career-best 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting, plus nine rebounds and two blocks.

For all the glow, there are real rough edges. Mara must improve at the line, where he shot 56.4%. There’s also uncertainty about what his offense looks like beyond finishing in the paint, though he did make 3 of 10 3-pointers last season in his first foray beyond the arc.

That mix—dominant at the rim, more limited elsewhere—also shapes how teams are likely to view the rest of the draft’s big-man crop.

Washington’s Hannes Steinbach arrives as a different kind of problem for opponents. At 6-10 and 248 pounds, the freshman from Germany was a steady scorer and rebounder, producing 18.5 points and national-best 11.8 rebounds. The glasswork is where he most clearly stands out: he had a 24-rebound game against USC and five other games with at least 15 boards. He also had 10 games with at least six offensive rebounds. with putbacks accounting for 17.2% of his possession usage. according to Synergy.

Steinbach’s game otherwise leaned into being the roll man in pick-and-rolls, on post-ups and as a cutter. He shot 57.7% overall and showed some inside-out skills by hitting 18 3s (34%), which could make him viable as a 4-man. Defensively, he had 1.2 blocks and a better than 7-2 wingspan.

The concern is that he’s not an explosive athlete. That could show up against opponents with length or against skilled defenders. His ball security also raised questions: he had 59 turnovers compared to 47 assists, creating uncertainty about how he can contribute as a complementary playmaker.

Kentucky sophomore Jayden Quaintance brings impressive size and measurables—6-9, 253 pounds, with combine rankings for wingspan (fourth, better than 7-5) and big hands tied for combine lead with 11-inch width, tied for second with a 9.5-inch length. But the evaluation gets complicated by health.

Quaintance tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in February 2025 while at Arizona State. He returned only to play four games at Kentucky while dealing with lingering issues in that knee. That left a limited sample. Before the injury, he averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 24 games at Arizona State. He made his Kentucky debut in December with 10 points and eight rebounds against St. John’s, then managed 10 points and 12 rebounds over the next three games. His final game came Jan. 7.

Houston freshman Chris Cenac Jr. offers rangy tools and a defensive-minded background. Listed at 6-11 and 240 pounds. he’s a McDonald’s all-American who was MVP of the NBPA Top 100 camp in summer 2024. He then started 36 games for Kelvin Sampson’s top-10 team, where defense, toughness and rebounding is required to play.

Cenac led the Cougars in rebounding (7.9) and hit 30 3-pointers to show inside-out skills. At the combine, he was fifth among players with a 7-5 wingspan.

His concerns are more about consistency and shotmaking rhythm. He didn’t consistently “pop,” settling into a complementary role while averaging 9.5 points. He had three or fewer made baskets in nearly half his games—18 of 37. He didn’t get to the line often, taking 58 attempts in 37 games, and shot poorly when he did, at 62.1%. He also committed more turnovers (33) than assists (27).

Beyond the headline names, the big-man board carries additional tiers of promise and risk.

HENRI VEESAAR. a 6-11. 227-pound fourth-year junior from Estonia. is described as having a breakout year at North Carolina with 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds. He’s a late first-round prospect who runs the floor and fits the modern bigs mold with space-creating range. He made 42.6% on 3s (40 of 94) at UNC and earned an “Excellent” rating from Synergy for his catch-and-shoot jumper. That came after shooting 31.6% (19 of 60) from behind the arc in two seasons at Arizona.

TARRIS REED JR., 6-10 and 264 pounds, brings UConn’s interior force profile. The senior averaged career highs of 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks. His March run included a first-round NCAA win against Furman where he posted 31 points and 27 rebounds—making him the first player since Houston’s Elvin Hayes in 1968 to post a 30/25 game in March Madness. Reed is a late first-round prospect with a better than 7-4 wingspan.

ZUBY EJIOFOR, listed at 6-8 and 245 pounds, is a senior whose physical presence helped St. John’s reach the Sweet 16. Synergy credited his high motor with 15.4% of his possession usage coming on offensive-rebound putbacks. He has a sturdy frame and a 7-2 wingspan that offers defensive potential. including the ability to tussle in the paint and move his feet to handle switches. He made 18 of 59 3s (30.5%), giving him at least some potential to step outside.

UGONNA ONYENSO. a 6-11. 237-pound Virginia senior. is viewed as an intriguing second-round flier as a rim protector with nearly 7-5 wingspan. He stood out against top pro prospect Cameron Boozer of Duke during the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game. harassing the eventual Associated Press national player of the year into season-low outputs of 13 points and 3-of-17 shooting. Onyenso blocked four of Boozer’s shots in that game. He finished with nine blocks in the tournament. pushing him to 21 total for the tournament and breaking a record held by former Wake Forest big man and NBA champion Tim Duncan.

NBA draft Aday Mara Michigan Wolverines big men prospects Hannes Steinbach Jayden Quaintance Chris Cenac Jr Henri Veesaar Tarris Reed Jr Zuby Ejiofor Ugo nna Onyenso