Ajay Mitchell Impresses in Training Camp

The second-round draftee has had much praise come his way from two very notable people during training camp.

Ajay Mitchell is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Training camp around the NBA has been underway for about a week now as teams' seasons have been starting back up. The Oklahoma City Thunder's season officially begins tomorrow night, as they take on the San Antonio Spurs at 8:00 pm ET in their first preseason contest.

Rookie Ajay Mitchell, whom the Thunder traded up in the second round multiple times for, is someone who's consistently been impressive throughout training camp according to multiple teammates and coaches.

Jalen Williams picked out rookie two-way guard Ajay Mitchell out of UCSB as someone who played really well in training camp today.

"Something with the mid-major guys, just you know, pretty good basketball players," Dub smirked.

— Nick Gallo (@NickAGallo) October 2, 2024

Head Coach Mark Daigneault dove deeper into what exactly has made Mitchell so impressive. He cited Mitchell's maturity, intelligence, and competitiveness on the court all being exceptional, which are all intangibles that get rookies playing time.

Daigneault on two-way guard Ajay Mitchell:

"He's a really mature player, very intelligent, very aware on the court. He knows what's going on, not just with him, but with the team... Defensively, he's competitive, and where he's supposed to be. He's been very impressive."

— Nick Gallo (@NickAGallo) October 4, 2024

Going further past the intangibles, Coach Daigneault said he's been dynamic offensively with his ability to score on all three levels and pass.

Mark Daigneault on Ajay Mitchell: “Dynamic offensive player. He can score on 3 levels. He can play the (PnR) game. He makes every pass… He’s been very impressive.”

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 4, 2024

Mitchell certainly has those skills. In his third and final season at UC Santa Barbara, he averaged 20.0 points and 4.0 assists on 61.2% True Shooting. He shot 59.5% at the rim, 44.2% from midrange, and 37.5% from three according to Barttorvik.

He's a very shifty ballhandler who uses that shiftiness alongside excellent touch to get to his spots on the floor and finish. He shot 44.2% on 138 non-rim two-pointers, indicative of that touch, but shot just under 60% on 153 rim attempts due to his reliance on that touch and a lack of vertical explosion (he had just 2 dunks in his junior season).

He also took a leap as a three-point shooter in his last season, going from a 29.0% three-point shooter in his first two seasons to above 37%, although on middling volume at 5.3 three-point attempts per 100 possessions. Coach Daigneault's comments about Mitchell's three-level scoring may indicate a future where those shooting improvements are here to stay.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort out for the Thunder's preseason game and their main core of guys likely coasting through the preseason, Mitchell will have tons of opportunity to prove his worth on the court. If he can showcase the ability to hit catch-and-shoot threes, attack closeouts, and make the right connective reads alongside some complementary shot creation, he may make a compelling case to receive some regular season minutes even with how stacked the roster is.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

---