As a result of the club's widespread injury woes last year, particularly to Jalen Williams, the OKC Thunder saw themselves rolling out many lineups with Ajay Mitchell serving as one of superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's top-three sidekicks.
Come playoff time, he was even utilized as a primary starter, slotting into the first five rotation in seven of his 11 games played.
The results were truly extraordinary, as Oklahoma City went 22-1 with Mitchell being used as a starting talent and, when he and Gilgeous-Alexander shared the floor together, the team ranked in the 92 percentile in opponent effective field goal percentage (51.3) and the 99 percentile in both points per 100 possessions (128.4) and point differential (plus-19.8), per Cleaning the Glass.
However, while it may seem a tad odd given this elite level of success, come next season, there should be no question that the soon-to-be junior must be seen serving as the main weapon coming off the pine for the Thunder.
Thunder need Ajay Mitchell to be their undisputed sixth man in 2026-27
The idea of sending Mitchell back to the bench after exploding onto the scene with averages of 18.4 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on 46.7 percent shooting during his starting role last postseason may not seem fair to some on the surface.
In fact, in some ways, it may seem like an unfair demotion after proving himself capable of rising to the occasion when taking on a bigger role in the rotation.
However, with the fact that All-NBA forward Jalen Williams is expected to come back at full strength in 2026-27, even if Mitchell were to remain a starter, it's all but guaranteed that he'd see a major reduction in his usage.
Frankly, as a result of the moves made this summer, Mitchell being sent down to the second unit could actually be the best thing when it comes to keeping him in a major role for the Thunder.
With both Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins now gone, ample touches have now become available for the taking within OKC's bench rotation.
Last season, the 24-year-old already started to establish himself as arguably the top option for the Thunder off the pine, something that became even more evident with his top-six finish in the running for Sixth Man of the Year.
Now, with the expectation that he'll have even more opportunities to shine, there should be no debate about his elite status among OKC's reserves.
Without question, sending Mitchell back to the bench is a no-brainer for both him and the Thunder.
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