Ajay Mitchell Showed High End Upside, Immediate Value

Lindy Waters III, cash considerations and a pair of second-round picks are all that it costs the Oklahoma City Thunder to move up in the 2024 NBA Draft and select UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell with the No. 38 pick in the second round.

A multi-year mid-major guard went under the radar during the 2024 NBA Draft cycle, but the Oklahoma City Thunder were confident in his game. So much so that Mitchell cracked the opening night rotation a year ago in Denver during a season that eventually saw the Thunder rattle off 68 wins and win their first championship in team history.

After a strong rookie season cut short due to injury, Mitchell was a player pegged for a year two leap. However, the levels he ascended to is that of a rising star. In year two, Mitchell not only made himself a staple of Mark Daigneault's rotation but also addressed the few areas of concern this reigning championship team had.

A year ago, the Thunder were pushed to seven games by the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers, largely due to their half-court offense in the non-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander minutes and lack of a third ball handler. Mitchell filled that void with his ability to run the show with the secondary unit on the ball, creating shots for himself and others while living in the painted area, and his off-ball play finishing when paired with the Thunder superstar or no. 2 scoring option Jalen Williams.

This led to Mitchell averaging 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 stocks per game while shooting 48% from the floor, 34% from distance and 87% at the charity stripe in 57 games. Mitchell ranks in the 88th percentile in points per possession in the half-court offensively while dominating in the pick-and-roll, producing 1.014 points per possession and even turning in 1.111 points per possession as an isolation scorer.

It is safe to say Oklahoma City has found a gem in its second-year guard. That was solidified with his recent run in the NBA Playoffs.

During the second half of the Thunder's second game against the Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, Oklahoma City lost All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams. This was a huge blow to a team that was clicking on all cylinders and was so grateful to have their No. 2 scorer back in the lineup after playing in just 33 regular-season games.

Though, the Thunder saw Mitchell step up in a big way to help lift the Thunder to an 8-0 record to start the NBA postseason in spite of Williams missing the past six games.

It has been in large part due to the Jalen Brunson-esp leap that Mitchell has taken over the past two series. When Brunson filled in for injured Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, who missed three games against the Utah Jazz in 2022, Dallas' second-round pick averaged 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 0.8 steals while shooting 48 percent from the floor, 36 percent from 3-point land and 84 percent from the charity stripe across six games. Brunson won Dallas the series, which launched the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals.

In this Lakers series, with Williams missing all four games, Mitchell averaged 22.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 56 percent from the floor, 25 percent from the 3-point line and 87 percent from the charity stripe. This is after a key adjustment he made following his first career playoff start against the Phoenix Suns, showing how fast the game is slowing down for him.

These first two rounds have shown what a high ceiling Mitchell has, even in his first playoff run, to continue to make an impact in this title defense season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but how much room there still is to grow for his game.

Now, Jalen Williams is back in the fold to start this Western Conference Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs. A luxury for this 8-0 Thunder team to add back into the mix. Williams' addition should come as welcome news, even if Mitchell is ushered back to a sixth man role.

The Oklahoma City Thunder won a championship a year ago despite being pushed to the brink by the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers. A large reason why things got dicey was the Thunder's lack of a third ball handler capable of creating his own shot or making life easier on his teammates, a playmaker. Now, with Mitchell's development, he not only addresses this need in the here and now makes this Thunder team the best version of themselves.

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