OKC Thunder Rookie Impresses in First Career Start

The Oklahoma City Thunder had to deploy second round pick Ajay Mitchell into the starting lineup for the first time in his career. The rookie impressed, pushing the OKC Thunder to its tenth straight win, knocking off the Charlotte Hornets.

Dec 28, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) on defense against Charlotte Hornets guard Isaiah Wong (21) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have won ten straight games, pushing its overall record to 25-5, sitting again as the Western Conference's no. 1 seed. Part of its success this season has been nailing the selection of no. 38 overall pick Ajay Mitchell. The rookie has been part of Mark Daigneault's rotation since opening night, and on Saturday, earned his first career start.

Down Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City only had ten active players against the Charlotte Hornets. It led to the Bricktown ballers being forced to shuffle its rotation - and starting lineup - against Buzz City.

On the front end of a back-to-back, the Oklahoma City Thunder thrusted the rookie into the starting five, playing Mitchell 32 minutes against the Hornets.

The UC Saanta Barbara product continues to impress, against the Hornets he put up 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and just one turnover - while shooting 4-for-8 overall, 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, including an and-one layup to put an exclamation point on an impressive first five debut.

This season, Mitchell is averaging six points, two rebounds, nearly two assists, and a stock per game while turning in shooting splits of 51 percent from the floor, 45 percent from beyond the arc and 79 percent at the charity stripe. The rookie has played in all 30 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder, earning 16 minutes per contest.

---

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.