Ajay Mitchell has Become Another NBA Draft 'Win' for OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to have a skill for finding talent in the NBA Draft.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.