Ajay Mitchell has a perfect opportunity to help Jalen Williams next season. Both are coming back from injuries, but it feels like Williams’ injury concerns were more chronic. So, if the Thunder are able to depend on Mitchell as a lead scorer once again next season, it takes a ton of pressure off Williams so he doesn’t have to rush things next year.
Mitchell looks like a star in the making. What opportunities came his way last season, he made the most of them. Unfortunately, when the Thunder needed him most, he got hurt. He wasn't there in the Western Conference Finals to help take some of the scoring load off of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But next year, as things get going, he has the chance to do that for Williams. Theoretically, William should be healthy after a summer of getting to that point. But the NBA season can be a brutal mistress. So, Mitchell needs to be ready to help take the scoring load off Williams.
Ajay Mitchell will take pressure off Jalen Williams
OKC struck gold. The NBA should not have let the Thunder get their hands on Mitchell. He was a second-round pick, and now, he looks like one of the better role players in the NBA
Mitchell is a great scorer. That's his best trait. He's great at handling the ball, putting the ball on the floor, and making stuff happen while driving to the basket. He did that for the Thunder all last year.
And considering the Thunder are one of the most talented teams in the league, the fact that Mitchell was able to not only break into the rotation, but climb up to the top, is an incredible feat.
Now, take a look at this upcoming season. Williams is returning from the most brutal season of his career so far. He was completely unable to stay on the court.
Inevitably, there is going to be a ton of pressure on him this year. Even if that pressure isn't felt from the Thunder, he'll probably put some pressure on himself to get back to his All-Star form.
So, having a guy like Mitchell playing alongside him should help. Because Mitchell is handling a ton of the scoring load, the Thunder should still win plenty of games, and that will take pressure off Williams.
In a perfect world, Williams is the second-best player on the Thunder, and their second-best offensive option behind SGA. But he might not be ready to be that right away after dealing with injuries all last season.
Again, that's where Mitchell can step in.
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