Ajay Mitchell's impact transcends a bench role, hinting at a future as a bona fide lead guard.
When the Thunder drafted Ajay Mitchell with the 38th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, he was commonly viewed as a polished point guard who did not have much of a ceiling beyond being a potential depth piece.
Mitchell challenged this notion during his rookie season. His quality play forced Mark Daigneault to give him real minutes despite Oklahoma City’s deep rotation filled with impactful veterans. An untimely injury derailed Mitchell’s season, but the rookie flashed enough upside for Sam Presti to shuffle him from a two-way contract to a standard contract to a long-term extension.
Mitchell’s leap this season has made Presti’s faith look like a stroke of genius. The sophomore is averaging 14.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. The respected catch-all advanced stats also love him.
He ranks 8th across the NBA in ESPN’s Net Points Per 100 Possessions, which “says how much better or worse than average a player is per 100 team possessions on the court.” Mitchell is in quite the company, as 12 of the top 15 players in this metric have made an All-NBA berth recently. The other players besides Mitchell to not make All-NBA are Victor Wembanyama and Austin Reaves. Wembanyama will receive this honor if he plays enough games this season, while Reaves is on pace to earn a spot.
Mitchell also ranks 27th in Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM), which “is an all-in-one player metric that predicts a player’s contribution to the team in points per 100 possessions.” He currently sits in between Anthony Davis and Franz Wagner in this metric.
Overall, the former second-round pick is firmly in the Sixth Man of the Year race, but Mitchell may become too good to come off the bench for much longer. There’s a chance that he follows Jalen Brunson’s career arc and morphs into a true lead guard. Mitchell is highly unlikely to reach Brunson’s level, as the Knicks superstar is on pace to make his third All-NBA appearance.
However, reaching numerous All-Star games is definitely attainable based on Mitchell’s impact and trajectory.
This upcoming postseason run for Oklahoma City will be an excellent chance for Mitchell to show his value, especially during the minutes when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rests. Mitchell keeping the Thunder afloat in these crucial minutes may be the difference between Oklahoma City packing its bags early or repeating as champions.