Preseason minutes are still audition minutes, but a handful of young players have turned their runs into something more useful than a box-score footnote. Aday Mara in Oklahoma City and Yaxel Lendeborg with Golden State have supplied the loudest all-around cases, while Kyshawn George, Luka Garza and Tristan da Silva have each put pressure on their respective rotation boards.
Mara has been especially productive across four Thunder exhibitions, averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, three assists and 2.8 blocks. The 7-foot-3 rookie, selected 12th in this year’s draft, has produced 36.8 High Score fantasy points per game, the best mark among this group.
His defensive presence is the obvious entry point. Oklahoma City has had a sizable paint deterrent whenever Mara checks in, but his passing has given the staff another reason to look closely at a backup-center role. He has operated higher on the floor, often near the arc, using his height to spot cutters and deliver passes over the first line of defense. The Thunder’s frontcourt minutes are not handed out easily, yet Mara has shown a profile that could fit behind the club’s established bigs.
Lendeborg has been nearly as productive for the Warriors, posting 36.3 High Score points per game in four outings. Golden State’s lottery selection is at 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while converting 54.8% of his field-goal attempts and 38.5% from deep.
The numbers have come with the kind of versatility Golden State can use at forward. Lendeborg has contributed as a rebounder and connector rather than simply a scorer, and his ability to play on both sides of the ball could put him in the conversation for a starting spot. Playing alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green would create cleaner opportunities, but the rookie has already done enough to suggest he can handle a meaningful role in Year 1.
Rotation cases are building elsewhere
George has continued to make a case to stay in Washington’s starting group. The Wizards expect a crowded rotation with Anthony Davis and Trae Young healthy, but George’s three preseason appearances have reinforced the two-way value he showed last season. The 6-foot-8 guard is averaging 15.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, three assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks, good for 33.3 High Score points per contest.
That combination of size, perimeter scoring and defensive activity gives Washington a reason to keep him involved even as the roster sorts through its available guards and wings. George has not needed a high-volume role to leave an imprint, which matters when the regular-season hierarchy begins to tighten.
In Boston, Garza has put together 30 points and 17 rebounds over two preseason games, averaging 33 High Score points. The Celtics added Mitchell Robinson in the offseason, making the center depth chart more congested, but Garza’s value may come from not being limited to a traditional center assignment. He can stretch the floor and work at either forward spot or the five.
Garza is coming off a season in which he established career bests with 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. His preseason production has not cleared up Boston’s rotation picture, but it has strengthened his argument for a share of the available minutes.
Da Silva has supplied Orlando with efficient scoring in 22.8 minutes per game through three exhibitions. The third-year forward is producing 18 points a night, shooting 37.5% from 3-point range, with 3.7 rebounds, three assists and 1.3 steals. His 31.7 High Score points per game reflect how steady his work has been rather than one oversized performance.
Orlando appears to have a dependable reserve forward option in da Silva, particularly if his outside shot remains a reliable part of the second unit. For now, these are preseason samples, not settled rotation verdicts. Still, Mara, Lendeborg, George, Garza and da Silva have made the coaching decisions ahead more complicated—and made themselves names worth tracking once the games begin to count.
