Last year's garbage time star, Ajay Mitchell, now fuels OKC's championship defense, poised to be their crucial playoff wildcard.
The Oklahoma City Thunder begin the postseason quest for a back-to-back championship on Sunday at The Paycom Center. While the entire real playoff rotation is back for the ride, there is one particularly notable and potentially game changing player who will be added to the mix.
And he's a second round sophomore coming off the bench.
Ajay Mitchell played in every series of the Thunder's 2025 playoff run. He played two games against the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1, three games against the Denver Nuggets in Round 2, three games against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals and four games against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. But besides a couple of limited minute exceptions, each Mitchell appearance was during garbage time of a blowout game. That will not be the case whatsoever during the 2026 playoffs.
The 23 year old combo guard will see significant minutes every game as an important and essential piece of the Thunder's rotation. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, there is an argument to be made that Mitchell may be OKC's next most relevant postseason player. He's certainly in the discussion along with Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace. The role that Mitchell plays is one that only he, the reigning MVP and last year's Third Team All-NBA are capable of bringing to the table on a nightly basis.
If there was one thing that could be nitpicked about OKC's roster during the last season's playoff run to the title, it may have been the absence of a third shot creator, ball handler and playmaker. Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's best in that role. Williams, despite a torn ligament in his shooting wrist, is an elite second option. But the Thunder had nobody besides those two All-Stars to drive the offense. Ultimately, it did not matter and Oklahoma City won the championship anyways. But better this time around to have another weapon. Adding a third talented creator to the rotation should be a boon to a half court offense that sometimes struggled against the cranked up defenses in a playoff setting.
Ajay Mitchell may have won this season's Sixth Man of the Year award had he not sustained an injury that limited him to 57 games played. He has gone from a luxury for the Thunder to a necessity. And if the Thunder are going to improve on last season's postseason performance and win back to back championships, Mitchell will play a vital role and be a major contributing factor.
More simply, he will be OKC's X Factor.