Despite still putting forth a stellar sophomore campaign with the OKC Thunder and finishing fifth in the running for Sixth Man of the Year, there was a part of Ajay Mitchell's game that was severely lacking compared to the year before.
After coming out of the gates hot as a lethal long-range shooter in year one, cashing in on his perimeter shots at an efficient 38.3 percent clip, the Santa Barbara product saw this high-end efficiency drop notably during his second go-around in the pros.
Through 57 games played, Mitchell only cashed in at a mere 34.7 percent clip.
Now, heading into his junior season, it appears the young guard is putting in the work necessary to bump his production back up somewhere closer to his rookie campaign, as a recent video shows him running beyond the arc shooting drills, both on ball and off the catch, and splashing in every attempt he hoisted.
Strengthening shooting efficiency should bode well for Thunder guard
Mitchell is already considered to be one of the best scoring weapons this Thunder team has on their roster.
He proved as much last season when essentially filling in for hobbled All-Star Jalen Williams as a top three offensive option, as he posted impressive averages of 15.2 points on 46.8 percent shooting from the floor with J-Dub out of the lineup and 13.6 points on 48.5 percent shooting on the season as a whole.
Now, while this production is certainly noteworthy, just imagine how much better he would have been had he converted on his 3.1 long-range attempts per game at a rate more similar to his first-year three-point percentage.
In coach Mark Daigneault's offensive scheme, efficient shooting from downtown is crucial.
Their rank within the top 10 in three-point percentage as a collective over the last three seasons has served as a major factor in their ongoing stretch of finishing with the top record in the Western Conference standings.
More specifically, their activity in the long-range catch-and-shoot game has been a big part of their on-court repertoire, as they hoisted such shots at the 10-highest rate last season with 29.1 per game, with Mitchell, in particular, taking 125 of them in total.
Unfortunately, his lackluster 33.6 percent success rate was a major dip from his previous 40.4 percent shooting percentage in such sets in 2024-25, and, as a result, held him back from reaching even higher levels in his game.
Hopefully, with the work he's actively putting in this summer, year three will be when his full potential on the offensive end is finally realized.
Add us as a preferred source on Google