Prior to being sidelined with a calf injury, Ajay Mitchell was proving to be the ultimate playoff darling for the OKC Thunder last season.
While filling in for Jalen Williams as the number two offensive weapon in coach Mark Daigneault's starting lineup, the combo guard found himself dropping a stellar 18.4 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while the club went 7-0 along the way.
Now, as we approach the start of the 2026-27 campaign, the Thunder headman seems to be suggesting that a carryover effect could realistically be seen this season, which, if this proves to be the case, should undoubtedly make Mitchell the favorite to take home the illustrious Sixth Man of the Year award.
Thunder coach stresses confidence Ajay Mitchell must be feeling
Following Wednesday's practice session, coach Daigneault spoke glowingly about how impressed he was with Mitchell last postseason, saying he felt the guard had "a great playoff run" and urged people not to "underestimate" the confidence he must have heading into year three.
Now, granted, Mitchell will presumably not be found suiting up in the first five lineup like he was for the majority of their deep, three-round playoff excursion, as All-NBA forward J-Dub is set to make his return to the fold and Cason Wallace is widely expected to replace the departed Lu Dort as the starting two guard.
However, even if he stays on the bench, this doesn't mean he won't be in line for a major bump in his role within the rotation moving forward.
The departures of guys like Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins directly create a combined 43.0 minutes and 15.8 shot attempts per game that are now up for grabs in the second unit. Considering he edged out both as head hancho off the pine last season, one should only expect him to take on the bulk of these vacated opportunities.
Doing so should only benefit him from both an on-court production standpoint and, frankly, his standing in the Sixth Man of the Year race.
In 57 games played last year, Mitchell dropped averages of 13.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 48.5 percent shooting from deep while ranking fourth in the entire league in plus-minus (minimum 50 games) and finishing fifth in the running for 6MOY.
Absorbing the lion's share of Joe and Wiggins' roles should easily help bump these numbers up even higher, and, should it be matched with the kind of playoff-best impact he had when taking on a heightened role last year (led all postseason players in plus-minus), there's no doubt that he should be considered the best bet to take home the illustrious second-unit honor.
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