It may not be all that obvious when considering their number one seeded record of 47-11 and top net rating of 12.6, but the OKC Thunder have dealt with many hardships throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.
Specifically, the ball club has been absolutely ravaged by widespread injuries. Five key rotation players alone have missed 20 or more games due to health-related ailments.
Fortunately, as of this writing, the majority of those impacted by these varying sideline-inducing afflictions have managed to heal up and get back onto the hardwood.
However, Oklahoma City still finds itself waiting on one core contributor to be medically cleared, and, following their recent come-from-behind win over the Brooklyn Nets, Chet Holmgren publicly declared that he and his teammates "look forward" to the day he finally makes his return.
OKC Thunder eagerly waiting for the return of Ajay Mitchell
Selected 38 overall in last June's NBA Draft, Ajay Mitchell quickly established himself as a regular participant within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation.
From mid-November through early January, the guard had consistently found himself logging double-digit minutes on a nightly basis and, among his fellow rookies strewn across the league, ranked at the top of his class in three-point percentage and defensive rating (100.0) while placing second in net rating (9.1) out of those who played in 30 or more games in 2024-25.
As a result of his efforts and impressive averages of 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 16.5 minutes a night while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 43.1 percent shooting from deep, earlier this month, Mitchell was rewarded by the Thunder by seeing his two-way deal converted to a multi-year contract, keeping him in the Sooner State through 2026.
Unfortunately, since putting pen to paper on his new contract figures, OKC fans have yet to see the 22-year-old log a lick of playing time, as he's been shelved since January 3 with a right great toe sprain that, on January 10, had him go under the knife to repair.
Per the Thunder PR team, the surgery requires a 10-to-12 week period before he can be re-evaluated. Based on this time frame, the earliest he'd be able to get an updated understanding of a return date is still roughly three weeks away.
Based on current projections, Ajay Mitchell is likely to be reintroduced to the rotation sometime in late March or early April and be back in the fold just in time for Oklahoma City's hopeful title push during this upcoming postseason run.
Based on Holmgren's recent post-game comments, it seems the Thunder are just as excited to get their first-year talent back as fans are.