The Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending champions and boast one of the deepest rosters in the entire NBA.
That said, even though the natural belief with these descriptors is that upward mobility may be rather challenging for any newcomers and younger, unproven prospects to find, as lineups are oft presumed to already be set, their recent signing of Ajay Mitchell proves that everyone within coach Mark Daigneault's talent pool has a shot at making a name for themself.
Ajay Mitchell signing should be an inspiration to Thunder youngsters
Starting off the 2024-25 campaign, the former second-round pick found himself attached to a non-guaranteed two-way contract with the franchise, seemingly destined to receive the bulk of his professional minutes coming down in the G League with the OKC Blue rather than with the Thunder.
To the delight of many, however, thanks to his standout efficiency on both ends of the ball early on and relentless hustle with the development and varsity team, by his fourth month with the club, Mitchell managed to work his way into a consistent, double-digit minute role in Mark Daigneault's top-seeded rotation and toward landing a standard deal worth up to $6 million.
Now, with a championship ring and a debut campaign that saw him shine bright among his fellow rookies with averages of 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 49.5 percent shooting from the floor and 38.3 percent shooting from distance under hit belt, Sam Presti officially announced on Sunday that the Thunder have inked Mitchell to a new, multi-year deal with an estimated worth of $9 million.
Though the easy takeaway from this news is that the reigning champs have locked down yet another standout young talent for the long haul, perhaps equally as important is that the 23-year-old's signing is a reminder to the current end-of-bench, odds stacked against them ballers that, though there may be competition for minutes on this deep roster, quality play, even limited, will be rewarded.
This means (hopefully) returning two-way players like Branden Carlson and recently selected second-rounder Brooks Barnhizer must stay ready for when their number is called to log meaningful minutes with the Thunder in 2025-26.
On top of this, while he may have three players ahead of him on the depth chart in Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams, this year's 15 overall pick, Thomas Sorber, will still have his fair share of bit opportunities to show his worth to the team for the long-haul, especially with future hardships at the center position clearly on the horizon.
The signing of Ajay Mitchell to a much-deserved pay raise is far from the first time the Thunder have fiscally recognized previously overlooked talents. From Lugentz Dort to Aaron Wiggins, the list of examples is quite astounding.
With the soon-to-be sophomore's deal now officially in the books, the question that should be on every in limbo participant's mind, and what could serve as incentive-driven motivation moving forward, is "What do I need to do to be rewarded as well?"