LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Everybody knows the Oklahoma City Thunder’s depth is the envy of the league and the backbone of their aspirations for a second straight NBA championship.
The next impressive player to rise from the Thunder’s bottomless depth and onto the national stage is Ajay Mitchell, who has seized the spotlight while replacing injured teammate Jalen Williams during these playoffs.
After delivering career playoff highs of 24 points and 10 assists with no turnovers in over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, the Belgian guard is the latest cog in general manager Sam Presti’s formidable machine to prove he’s ready to contribute to .
Perhaps only his teammates aren’t surprised.
鈥淵eah, he鈥檚 a gamer,鈥� MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. 鈥淲orks super hard. He鈥檚 never shaken by the moment. It might be a shock to the world, but it鈥檚 no shock to us. We knew who Ajay Mitchell was the day he stepped foot in our building, and he鈥檚 just showing it to the world.鈥�
The Thunder are unbeaten in the postseason after taking a 3-0 series lead in the second round, seemingly making their advancement to the Western Conference finals a mere formality.
That’s largely thanks to Mitchell, who swiftly stepped up to shoulder an increased offensive load five games ago following Williams’ hamstring injury. In the second round, Mitchell has also stepped up to make up for the Lakers’ strong defensive effort against Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been limited and erratic by his formidable standard.
鈥淚 know what I can do, and when I go out there, I just want to compete and help this team win and play freely,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淓very time I step on the court, I want to be a winning player and help my team. That鈥檚 really what鈥檚 been on my mind every time I play.鈥�
Mitchell did that impressively in the second half of Game 3, with 18 points and seven assists in the half while largely taking charge of the game at the start of both quarters. He led the Thunder’s 21-6 run out of halftime on the way to a third straight blowout.
Mitchell is averaging 20.7 points per game against the Lakers while hitting 53.3% of his shots and committing only three total turnovers. He has 20 assists while also playing strong defense.
After Williams went down in Game 2 of the first round against Phoenix, Mitchell moved into the starting lineup for Game 3 and promptly went 5 for 20. His teammates remained solidly behind him 鈥� and Mitchell has been outstanding ever since.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just finding his footing,鈥� Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It鈥檚 his first run in the playoffs, and it鈥檚 obviously a different ballgame. He鈥檚 just getting more and more comfortable as the game goes on, as the series goes on. … I was never worried that he wasn鈥檛 going to figure it out, and he鈥檚 shown that.鈥�
After growing up in Europe, Mitchell spent three collegiate seasons about an hour away from downtown Los Angeles at UC Santa Barbara, and he was a second-round pick in 2024.
Mitchell played as a rookie last season, albeit sparingly: He contributed 6.5 points per game in 36 regular-season contests, earning an early role in the Thunder’s rotation before missing nearly the entire second half of the regular season with turf toe.
He averaged just 8 minutes per game during the postseason title run, but Presti and coach Mark Daigneault saw enough to re-sign Mitchell to a three-year, $9 million contract 鈥� a deal that looked like a ridiculous steal even before this playoff emergence.
Mitchell has proved he can be a creator and a scorer, but he earned Daigneault’s trust by contributing on defense. Daigneault recognizes Mitchell’s inexperience in the postseason, but it hasn’t stopped the coach from putting Mitchell at the center of their effort.
鈥淗e doesn’t have a ton of basketball (playing time) in the NBA,鈥� Daigneault said. 鈥淭he growth curve of players young in their career is steep, and he鈥檚 a guy that鈥檚 hungry, (but) he鈥檚 also humble. So he grows from all of his experiences. He’s been great in the postseason so far, but he hasn’t been wholly efficient yet. I think that’s a little bit the intensity of the games, the physicality, the length. … And yet he stays aggressive and he just keeps playing.鈥�
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