Coming into the 2025-26 campaign, many fans and pundits were predicting that a young OKC Thunder stud would ultimately wind up breaking out.
Most were presumably putting their money on big man Chet Holmgren to pop off in year three, while Cason Wallace was a name that saw a considerable amount of attention as a star on the rise as well.
Perhaps to the surprise of many, however, the player whose stock has risen the most through these first few games of the year is actually someone who flew a bit under the radar as a potential breakout candidate in Ajay Mitchell.
Ajay Mitchell is the Thunder breakout star no one saw coming
Now, to all Thunder fans' credit, Mitchell has been a well-known and respected member of this ball club since bursting onto the scene as a second-round rookie early on last season.
Carving out a regular role within coach Mark Daigneaut's top-ranked rotation while ranking fifth in three-point percentage (38.3) and first in defensive rating (100.0) among his rookie classmates who saw 30 or more games played is certainly no small feat.
On top of this, clearly the franchise noticed his value and overall potential as a player, as they shelled out a new four-year deal in his direction this past summer.
However, with returning backcourt members ahead of him in the pecking order like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Wallace, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins, along with the arrival of highly touted lottery-selected floor general Nikola Topic, there were plenty of reasons to believe that a plateaued, if not a reduced role, could realistically be in the cards for the 23-year-old.
Of course, as fate would have it, several of these aforementioned names have been hobbled by health-related ailments to kick off Oklahoma City's title defense tour, which has, in turn, created an opportunity for Mitchell to take on even more of a workload in coach Daigneault's scheme.
Fortunately, he's more than made the most of it.
Through three games played so far, the point guard has already managed to record a new single-game high in points with 26 during the Thunder's NBA Finals rematch against the Indiana Pacers last week, while boasting career-best averages of 18.7 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from distance.
While SGA is still unquestionably the number one option on this undefeated Thunder squad, there's a case to be made that Mitchell has been the second or, at worst, third-best player they've had running alongside the reigning MVP as Jalen Williams remains sidelined following offseason wrist surgery.
All throughout last season, many buzzed about how the Santa Barbara product was the latest example of GM Sam Presti's elite ability to snatch up diamond-in-the-rough talents late in the draft process.
Now, three games into 2025-26, the conversation has shifted to how Ajay Mitchell is the surprise two-way breakout star on the reigning champs.