Ajay Mitchell Continues to Surprise on OKC Thunder Bench Unit

OKC's second-round rookie has been nothing short of great off the Thunder bench to start the season.

Nov 13, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) passes in front of New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Boston Jr. (11) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The surprise that is second-round rookie guard Ajay Mitchell is continuously showing why he deserves the minutes he's getting so far this season.

He boasts a pretty impressive stat line so far, averaging 5.3 points per game, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 15.2 minutes per game. Everything he's done so far, including his scoring, is quite impressive given the minutes per game he's playing.

The 5.3 points per game Mitchell is scoring hasn't been anything out of this world. Mitchell has scored 12 points in three different games, two of which OKC ended up winning. Mitchell has the eighth best plus-minus on the Thunder roster, with a plus-61 total. Against the Pelicans in OKC's most recent game, he was tied for the highest plus-minus with 18, alongside star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Mitchell's performance against a short-handed New Orleans squad is a perfect example of what he can contribute to this team. He posted six points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals. It shows his ability, in 26 minutes of game time, two do anything the Thunder need him to do.

In another one of his best performances of the early season, Mitchell scored 12 points in a 126-107 victory over Houston. That wasn't just it, also tossing around seven assists and grabbing two rebounds. He's shown his ability to play the point guard spot, while also defending and scoring at the level capable of an off-ball guard. Not only did he do it on offense, he added three steals to his stat line. Again, Mitchell showed his ability against the Rockets to contribute on offense and defense.

The concept of OKC's second-round young guard, on a roster with some of the best guards in the NBA, playing as much as he has might be questionable to some. Many of OKC's best play at such a high level because they benefit the team on both sides of the ball. Mitchell slots into this category, but it shouldn't be surprising.

For the UC Santa Barbra Gauchos, Mitchell averaged 1.1 steals per game in his three year career, also averaging 16 points per game in those three seasons. That was capped off by a 20 point per game season his junior year before leaving for the NBA. He averaged 5.1 assists per game his sophomore season and four his junior one and managed nearly an average of three rebounds in his college career as well.

Long story short, Mitchell is about as a versatile player as you will find among this year's young rookie class. Many may be surprised by the amount of growing playing time he's receiving, but he's made it nearly impossible to keep off the court off the bench.

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