Just a few weeks after the news broke that Thomas Sorber had gone under the knife yet again on his surgically repaired knee that kept him out all of 2025-26, Ajay Mitchell has provided a much-needed glimmer of hope in the OKC Thunder injury department regarding his own health.
During a recent appearance on SportsCenter, the soon-to-be third-year guard discussed the calf injury he sustained against San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals, which sidelined him for the final four games of their ill-fated series.
Asked specifically how the rehab process has been going since their Game 7 loss, Mitchell provided fans with a positive update by saying "it's been great" and that he's already "close to being back to 100 [percent]."
"It's a great feeling and [I'm] just excited to have a great offseason and be ready to start the year off strong," Mitchell said.
Ajay Mitchell likely to be fully healthy for start of Thunder season
Mitchell's services were certainly missed during the final stretch of their seven-game showdown against the Spurs. Prior to being shut down for the series with what was diagnosed as a right calf strain, the Thunder boasted a 2-1 lead over San Antonio and were believed to be the frontrunners to represent the West in their second straight NBA Finals.
Of course, in the end, following a few unfortunate chomps from the injury bug, the undermanned Thunder fell to the rising Spurs in a down-to-the-wire Game 7, losing by a final score of 111-103.
All things considered, it's easy to feel that this series could have ended up going in OKC's favor had they had their breakout guard, who had posted a career-best 13.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in the regular season and a whopping 16.4 points per game during the 10 playoff games he was fully healthy for, available.
His absence, coupled with the loss of Jalen Williams as a result of yet another hamstring injury, clearly proved too much for Oklahoma City to overcome.
Heading into the 2026-27 campaign, the hope is that both he and J-Dub will have been able to put their injury woes behind them this summer and head into training camp at full strength.
By the sound of things, it seems Mitchell is just about there, with around two months to spare. Hopefully, Williams isn't too far behind in regard to his own recovery trajectory.
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