Ajay Mitchell Has Been the Best Addition the Defending Champions Could Ask For

You've had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. You've had Josh Giddey.

Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. It's been a plethora of guys who have came into Oklahoma City with much positivity—and all of these players have lived up to that hype.

Albeit, Giddey being traded to the Chicago Bulls in return for Caruso, Giddey is making a claim for an all-star collection.

Point is, all of these guys have came in with some expectations. Most have lived up to those expectations, with some certainly surpassing them. But none of them came into a championship-defending squad with those expectations.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has won its first NBA title in its existence—the vibes have been high, toasts have been made and fun was had—although it's a new season, fans are still running off that high.

In the midst of that, you have an 8-0 start, you're superstar in Gilgeous-Alexander is back and better than ever, and now, you have a newcomer with no expectations who is popping onto the scene and holding the Thunder up by its bootstraps.

Ajay Mitchell. That's the Thunder's newcomer, and he's continued to compete night in and night out throughout Oklahoma City's best start ever to an NBA season.

Ajay Mitchell drives to the baske — Oct 30, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

A second round pick and a rookie who played in just 36 games a year ago, Mitchell has grown throughout the offseason and significantly.

He's competed in all eight games thus far, providing one of the brightest sparks off the bench being the most consistent and productive reserve scorer. Just over 16 points a game, doing so on 43.9% shooting while putting up nearly two steals a game as well as 3.5 assists and 3.6 boards on average.

And throughout some injury turmoil with Williams having not played an entire game and Holmgren being sidelined at the moment, Mitchell's output has been integral to kick off the Thunder's season to defend its title.

He's multiplied his production by over half on nearly all fronts in the box score. And to help claim another Larry O'Brien trophy for a back-to-back season, Mitchell's presence will need to continue to be felt throughout the duration of the year.