Ajay Mitchell Has Become a Necessity for the Oklahoma City Thunder

At this point in the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren sidelined with long-term injuries, Ajay Mitchell has effectively become a must-have piece.

The third-year guard has missed the past few games with an injury of his own, which has further illustrated just how important he is to this team. Given the way Oklahoma City’s roster is currently constructed in the short to medium term, Mitchell is very clearly the team’s second-best player.

He’s a legitimate offensive engine who can facilitate for others, create his own shot and alleviate some of the burden on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But when Mitchell is out, it becomes significantly easier for opposing teams to load up on Gilgeous-Alexander and completely disrupt the Thunder’s offense.

Even in games in which Gilgeous-Alexander has been able to produce efficient scoring nights without Mitchell, it’s been an uphill climb. He’s having to make difficult shots all night, relying on his ability to get to the free throw line and working extremely hard for nearly every basket. It completely changes the way the Thunder is able to operate offensively.

When Mitchell isn’t playing, Oklahoma City has to rely on players who frankly aren’t equipped to consistently be second or third options in the scoring department. Jared McCain is a great scorer, but expecting him to be the No. 2 scoring option on a team that still has championship aspirations is a pretty tough ask.

That was further exemplified in Friday night’s loss to the LA Clippers, when Gilgeous-Alexander, McCain and Isaiah Hartenstein combined for exactly 75% of Oklahoma City’s 112 points. Outside of that trio, nobody really made a significant impact in the scoring department.

It speaks to just how much of the Thunder’s depth has been gutted by injuries, but also how valuable Mitchell has become in such a short period of time.

For the foreseeable future, it’s going to take a Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell star pairing to keep this offense going. The luxury of having multiple high-level offensive creators on the roster is no longer something Oklahoma City has.

As long as either of those two guys is out, the Thunder is simply going to struggle to score the basketball. Expectations have certainly shifted for Oklahoma City this season, but any chance at making the playoffs will lean heavily on Mitchell staying healthy for most of the remainder of the 2026-27 campaign.