Despite a comfortable first-round sweep against the Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder second-year guard Ajay Mitchell struggled to fully take advantage of his temporary starting spot.
After the injury to Jalen Williams, Mitchell was slotted into the first five lineup and failed to make the impact he did in the regular season. Though he averaged 15 points and five rebounds, he shot just 36 percent from the field on 13 attempts per game.
But against a much less athletic, overall worse Los Angeles Lakers defense, Mitchell has now been given a dream chance to get back to dominating the mid-range, operating the pick-and-roll, and attacking the Lakers' poor defenders.
Thunder stud can easily dissect Lakers' old, unathletic defense
Surprisingly, the Lakers' defense held up well against the often Kevin Durant-less Houston Rockets. However, a considerable amount of their defensive success comes at the hands of the bad Rockets offense, which was devoid of serious ball handlers and shooters.
So, because of this, it's fair to say that the same defense won't find the same success in round two.
The backcourt of Luke Kennard and Austin Reaves has no chance of guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell, a key reason OKC is projected to dominate the entire series.
Along with SGA's pre-determined dominance, Mitchell can also have his way this series. Many of his inside-the-arc go-to shots couldn't seem to fall against the Suns, in large part due to their excellent closeouts and length.
Against LA, the story should be completely different.
In the regular season, the Lakers ranked in the 20th percentile in mid-range defense and 29th percentile in rim defense. With 42 percent of Mitchell's shots coming from the mid-range and 31 percent at the rim, he will be able to feast in the interior. His profound strength and shiftiness will leave LA helpless.
Another layer to his game that he can improve in this round is his pick-and-roll play. In the first round, Mitchell was just a 35.2 percentile pick-and-roll ball handler, averaging 0.75 points per possession, and shot 40 percent from the field.
Now, he'll be able to consistently hunt for weaker Laker defenders that don't stand a chance of staying in front of him. Additionally, his exceptional lob passing can come into play, taking advantage of Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes' lack of defensive instincts and positioning.
These favorable matchups for Mitchell give him an excellent opportunity to duel Lakers' round one hero, Marcus Smart.
Smart and Mitchell duel an essential focus for the series
At 32, Smart is playing his best basketball. Against Houston, he averaged nearly 15 points to go along with 5.5 assists, 2.7 steals, 1.7 blocks, and a 63.2 true shooting percentage.
Though he'll likely be guarding Gilgeous-Alexander primarily on offense, he and Mitchell will be the second- or third-option guards in the series.
Smart's done it all for Los Angeles in Reaves' absence, becoming a great playmaker and an efficient, high-volume three-point shooter, all while resurging his DPOY-caliber defense. With Reaves' return, his offensive workload will surely shrink, but with Luka Doncic still injured, there will still be plenty on his plate.
This puts the regular season sixth men in a standoff.
Whether or not Ajay Mitchell can outplay Marcus Smart in their amplified roles will greatly determine just how cleanly the OKC Thunder can handle business in the second round.
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