With Jalen Williams' recent hamstring strain, the OKC Thunder have officially turned to sophomore Ajay Mitchell as the All-Star's primary replacement in the starting lineup.
Though it's been well documented just how impressive the former second-round pick has been since going from a two-way hidden gem to a standard rotation player, here in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, it seems his teammates are still figuring out just how productive he can truly be out on the hardwood.
During a recent media session, big man Jaylin Williams admitted to reporters that "a lot of us are still amazed by how good he is," and specifically noted that he was shocked when seeing after Saturday's Game 3 win over Phoenix that Mitchell ended the contest with 20 shot attempts, two more than superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 18.
Now, granted, this is by no means the first time the point guard has been called upon to take on a larger role within the rotation. During the regular season, Mitchell started 16 games for the Thunder, posting impressive averages of 14.9 points, 3.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on 49.4 percent shooting from the floor and 41.7 percent shooting from deep.
However, this is his first time being tasked with doing so under the bright lights of the postseason, all while being under even more pressure to make up for Williams' production amid his absence.
To the delight of both fans and his Thunder running mates, it's apparent Mitchell isn't shying away from the moment.
Ajay Mitchell steps up while Chet Holmgren regresses for Thunder
With Williams sidelined week-to-week, 13.5 shot attempts per game are now officially up for grabs. Needless to say, Mitchell certainly received the memo.
Unfortunately, it appears Chet Holmgren did not.
Despite being this Thunder team's only other All-Star next to Gilgeous-Alexander and, in turn, their should-be number-two option, in their first full game played without J-Dub this postseason, the big man fell well short of offensive expectations.
In 29 minutes of action, Holmgren wrapped up with 10 points while attempting just six shots. This placed him fourth on the team in the scoring department and eighth in shots attempted.
Now, in a way, the fact that Oklahoma City still pulled away with a double-digit win and, in turn, is officially on the verge of pulling off a first-round sweep over the Suns despite this lack of offensive production is impressive -- after all, it reinforces just how deep and dominant the Thunder are.
However, Holmgren's underwhelming aggression and lack of drive to get involved on offense have been pegged as an issue all year long. It's a tad troubling to see him dip well below his season averages (17.1 points on 11.3 attempts per game) at a time when OKC presumably would have liked him to step up.
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