OKC Thunder Guard's Summer League Performance Could Carry Into Next Season

Oklahoma City was back on the floor in summer league, and one player stood out more than anyone else.

Entering the Thunder’s summer league opener against the Memphis Grizzlies, all eyes were on Nikola Topic. The No. 12 pick in 2024, Topic missed his entire rookie season recovering from injury but finally got on the floor in a Thunder uniform on Saturday. 

While Topic played well, it was soon clear that his backcourt partner was the star of the show. Although he just played in the NBA Finals a couple of weeks ago, Ajay Mitchell was back on the floor to showcase his value. 

In Saturday’s matchup against Memphis, Mitchell finished with 24 points and six assists, shooting 10-of-18 from the floor. Throughout the game, Mitchell established himself as a scoring threat and continued to create for himself and his teammates. 

It’s nearly impossible to have any firm takeaways from one summer league game, but Mitchell’s ability to look a clear step ahead of his teammates could bode well for his second season. In the backcourt, Mitchell will be competing against Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Nikola Topic for minutes, but considering what he already showed in his rookie year, he should have no issues carving out a role in Mark Daigneault’s rotation. 

Last season, Mitchell was a key piece of Daigneault’s rotation over the first couple of months before a toe injury effectively ended his rookie regular season. He came back for the final two games in April, but wasn’t back in time to truly prepare for the playoffs.

Mitchell still played some limited minutes in the postseason, but his role was nowhere near the load he was tasked with in the early regular season. Still, Daigneault throwing him into those situations at all shows the type of trust and belief the Thunder have in their guard.

If Mitchell’s summer league debut was any indication, Oklahoma City might be expecting a leap from him in year two. It’s impossible to predict how Mitchell will evolve as he enters his second season at 23 years old, but with how quickly he adjusted to the NBA game and a healthy offseason to prepare next year, 2025-26 could be a special season.