Ajay Mitchell Ready to Build on Second-Year Leap for OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City’s season ended on a sour note, but there’s still plenty to be excited about, including a young guard’s breakout year.

After winning 64 games and fighting their way to a Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder came up just short of another NBA Finals appears. With the loss to the San Antonio Spurs now behind them, the Thunder can look ahead to the offseason, but they’ve also got some things to look back on this season.

Among the most encouraging developments throughout the year was the emergence of Ajay Mitchell. After showing flashes through an injury-riddled rookie season, Mitchell was able to pick up where he left off and became a force for Oklahoma City this season.

With his absence being a key piece of why the Thunder couldn’t get past the Spurs, it’s clear that he’ll be a difference maker for the team for years to come. As Mitchell noted in his exit interview, it didn’t take long for him to realize the type of season he was going to have.

“I think the one thing that I was really confident was just the offseason work I had last offseason,” Mitchell said. “Felt really good coming back here in September and felt like, yeah, I'm going to do everything I can to have an impact and help this team. So that was really the moment where I got back here in September that I feel like, yeah, I can really help this team.”

Mitchell wasted no time becoming a clear factor in Oklahoma City’s success in his second season. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals while finishing in the top five in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

As injuries piled up for the Thunder throughout the year, Mitchell’s presence on the floor was always a welcome sight. With the ability to take over games at times, as displayed in his series against the Lakers, and ability to be a perfect fit as a secondary ball-handler, he was consistently able to impact the game in a variety of ways.

While Mitchell had a spectacular season and let the NBA world know exactly who he is on the floor, he knows he can’t spend too much time enjoying his progress this year. Although the offseason just started, Mitchell is ready to get back on the floor and make the necessary strides to help get the Thunder back to the top next season.

“It's definitely been an amazing ride so far, but I just look at it as there's so much more that I feel like I can do better and be better at and so much to build on,” Mitchell said. “So I'm really excited for next year. Obviously really upset about this year, but I think we did a good job at turning the page last year from our championship run and I'm sure we'll do the same here.“

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