The OKC Thunder came away with two first-round talents during this past June's NBA Draft with the likes of Nikola Topic and Dillon Jones. However, through the first few months of action, it's becoming increasingly apparent that their best on-court rookie contributor has been second-round pick Ajay Mitchell.
Snatched up at 38 overall during the festivities and signed to a two-way contract, it was originally perceived that the UC Santa Barbara product would be a sporadic participant within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation and primarily see his minutes come with the club's G League affiliate, the OKC Blue.
Fast forward to late December and, shockingly enough, we find Mitchell serving as a rotation regular on the varsity team as he's played in all 30 games and see his usage and confidence increase with every passing day.
Saturday, these two traits appeared to have hit new highs as the wing received the first starting nod of his professional career in OKC's bout against the Charlotte Hornets.
In 31 minutes, he proved to be one of the most reliable two-way performers on the night, finishing with an impressive stat line of 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 50 percent shooting in Oklahoma City's 106-94 win over Charlotte.
Now, while some other youngsters around the league (and, frankly, on this Thunder team) may have been a bit overwhelmed by coach Daigneault's decision, Mitchell showcased a sense of calm, self-assurance, and overall readiness to take on the daunting challenge of starting in the NBA.
As the headman revealed during his post-game presser, these are attributes the guard has displayed all season long.
OKC Thunder coach talks up Ajay Mitchell after first career start
"He's done a great job at this point. He's earned the opportunities that he's gotten. I thought he was very much in character in just obviously an extended role tonight," Daigneault said.
Finding diamonds in the rough on draft day is by no means a new fad for this Thunder organization, as they have an impressive track record of doing so over the years with headline talents including past studs like Serge Ibaka (24 pick in 2008) to current fan favorites such as Andrew Wiggins (55 pick in 2021).
Now, they appear to have added yet another impressive later-selected talent with the likes of Ajay Mitchell, who has truly been one of the game's best rookies this season while posting per 100 averages of 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.4 steals while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 44.7 percent shooting from distance.
As coach Daigneault suggested with his post-game comments, this level of production should not come as a shock to anyone. Moving forward, neither should seeing him receive more opportunities slotting into the starting lineup and, quite possibly, earning a lofty new payday.