The Oklahoma City Thunder still await their opponent for the Western Conference Finals after their four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The San Antonio Spurs currently hold a 3-2 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although Minnesota has shown enough fight in this series to where they certainly can't be counted out, it seems as though the Spurs are poised to finish them off on the road in Game 6.
Either way, though, the Thunder will face a formidable defense as they attempt to take the next step in their bid for a repeat. With Jalen Williams' availability still uncertain, they'll need all hands on deck in the next round.
Thankfully, Ajay Mitchell broke out in the Western Conference semifinals, taking the mantle from Williams offensively and becoming perhaps the Thunder's most important player across those four games. His developments as a scorer and a self-creator were certainly impressive.
But he also posted 24 assists to just four turnovers in that series, and it could be his developments as a playmaker that truly make the difference in the Thunder's championship bid.
Ajay Mitchell's developments as a playmaker could help take some of the pressure off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the WCF
From the outset of their last series, the Lakers' defensive strategy was clear— take the ball out of Gilgeous-Alexander's hands whenever possible. Mitchell's presence as a scorer helped the Thunder to exploit that. He averaged 22.5 points on 56.3% shooting over the course of the series.
It remains to be seen what approach the Spurs or the Timberwolves would take against Oklahoma City's layered offensive attack. But both teams have better defensive tools than Los Angeles had. Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert are formidable paint-protecting presences, and both squads, especially San Antonio, have disruptive perimeter defenders.
In Williams' absence, the Thunder are not only missing their secondary scorer. They're missing the 5.5 assists that Williams averaged when he was healthy this season. They need someone who can take on playmaking duties when Gilgeous-Alexander is swamped with double teams and tagged with a defender for the full length of the court.
Mitchell showed against the Lakers he can be that piece. His playmaking metrics during the regular season were more than respectable. He averaged a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio on relatively high volume across 57 games.
But when the defensive pressure ramped up in the playoffs, Mitchell proved that he's capable of even exceeding those numbers. While his scoring will be paramount with Williams out, his playmaking could therefore be even more important against the Thunder's next opponent, not to mention whoever they might face in a hypothetical Finals matchup.
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