The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to have a skill for finding talent in the NBA Draft.<\/p>\n
Sam Presti and company added All-NBA wing Jalen Williams with the No. 12 overall pick, signed ALl-Defense honoree Lu Dort as an undrafted free agent, and found multiple rotation players in the second round.<\/p>\n
Over the past few years, former second-round picks Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins have developed into solid role players and seen important minutes for the Thunder.<\/p>\n
It appears that OKC has found another role player in the second-round, as Ajay Mitchell continues to impress early in his second NBA season.<\/p>\n
After being selected with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2024 draft, Mitchell appeared in 36 games, making one start as a rookie. The UC Santa Barbara product showed flashes in his first year with the Thunder, but suffered a toe injury that sidelined Mitchell for most of the season.<\/p>\n
Still, upon his return, Mitchell saw first-quarter minutes in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Just a few months later, the 23-year-old was starring for the Thunder’s summer league team alongside Nikola Topic. <\/p>\n
After impressive summer league and preseason outings, Mitchell seemed posied for a bigger role entering his second NBA season, and with a number of ball-handlers out of OKC’s lineup with injuries, the 6-foot-5 guard has filled in nicely. <\/p>\n
Mitchell was a major catalyst in Oklahoma City’s win against Indiana on Thursday night, finishing with 26 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and just one turnover in 38 minutes on the floor. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Aaron Wiggins and Mitchell combined for 104 of the Thunder’s 141 points.<\/p>\n
With players like Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe and others out of the Thunder’s rotation with injuries, OKC needed Mitchell to shoulder more of the scoring load.<\/p>\n
Even when the aforementioned group returns, Mitchell will likely still have a solid role for the Thunder as a scoring threat and another ball handler off the bench. In his final year at UC Santa Barbara, Mitchell averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n
From that point, Mitchell has become a valuable NBA rotation player on a championship team in less than two full years. While that may be a testament to the development process in Oklahoma City, it also speaks to Presti’s eye for talent.<\/p>\n
Mitchell signed a 3-year extension with Oklahoma City over the 2024-25 offseason, worth a total of nearly $9 million. Through two games this season, Mitchell is averaging 21 points, 3 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4% from the field while helping the Thunder start 2-0.<\/p>\n
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