Ajay Mitchell Over LaMelo Ball? Chandler Parsons Drops Ridiculous NBA Take

Chandler Parsons has never been a LaMelo Ball believer. He is one of the ex-NBA players turned media analysts who seems to take every chance he gets to rip the Charlotte Hornets guard.

A few weeks ago, he seemed to be turning a corner and finally recognizing and admitting Ball's greatness. That's all gone now. For seemingly no reason, Ball is once again being dragged into needless debate.

Oklahoma City Thunder backup guard Ajay Mitchell is having quite the postseason run lately, and it apparently is more than enough to start talking about him as one of the best guards in the NBA.

"I think he's better than 10 starting point guards." 😳@ChandlerParsons would take Ajay Mitchell over LaMelo Ball. pic.twitter.com/lPYsAHTSTK
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 12, 2026

Parsons is clearly a victim of recency bias, but he said, "I think he's better than 10 starting point guards. I don't think that's crazy, I think I'm selling him short... That's the type of guy I want running my offense."

He continued, "I'm taking him over LaMelo Ball. He's also younger than LaMelo Ball, how about that?" In Parsons' world, it's Ball's fault that he's 24 and has six seasons under his belt and Mitchell is 23 with only two seasons under his. What a ridiculous argument.

Getting to the actual basketball, though, it gets even worse. Mitchell is a good guard who benefits from playing within the infrastructure of the best team in the NBA. Mitchell doesn't have to be the team like Ball does.

Mitchell has better defensive metrics, which is not a surprise since the Thunder are one of the best defensive teams in modern history. Obviously, Mark Deignault has things figured out on that end.

On offense, though, it's not a comparison. Ball's 123.2 offensive rating ranks amongst the best players in the NBA. He's 5.0 points better than Mitchell there, and he has a better Player Impact Estimate, assist ratio, rebound percentage, and turnover ratio.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) against the Phoenix Suns | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When Ball sits, the Hornets are almost 10 points worse. That's among the best marks in the NBA, and it's better than Mitchell at 8.2, which is still a very strong number.

Ball only plays a couple more minutes a night than Mitchell, but let's look at the per-36 numbers, too. Ball averaged 25.8 points, 9.2 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks with 3.6 turnovers. Mitchell averaged 18.9 points, 5.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks with 2.0 turnovers.

It's not a comparison. Mitchell is a better defender. The metrics do bear that out. But that doesn't take away from the chasm on the other end, which in all honesty might be the more important end.

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