Right out of the gates after being selected 38 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, Ajay Mitchell quietly established himself as a hidden gem player for this OKC Thunder squad.
From his under-the-radar defensive dominance to his highly efficient shooting stroke, the Santa Barbara product quickly became a favorite among both Oklahoma City's fanbase and coaching staff.
Here in his sophomore go-around, with a full-scale contract and a year's worth of pro experience under his belt, Mitchell has clearly transitioned from being a budding stud to a breakout talent.
In fact, in a recent piece penned by Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz, the youngster was even labeled as "one of the best reserve guards in the NBA."
Thunder sophomore Ajay Mitchell tabbed as 'one of best reserve guards'
While ranking the most underrated players today, Swartz, who placed Mitchell third in his pecking order, praised the 23-year-old for his on-court impact, particularly on the offensive end where he highlighted how, in nine starts this year he's "looked like one of the best shooters in the NBA," going 46.7 percent from beyond the arc while averaging 16.6 points and 4.1 assists along the way.
Swartz would take things a step further by saying "there's some Jalen Brunson" in his game, comparing their ability to "break down defenders off the dribble, get into the teeth of the defense and either hit a pull-up jumper or finish around the help that's coming."
Of course, the real kicker behind why the seasoned writer is so enamored with Mitchell is his cost-to-production value.
Through 43 games played, Mitchell is dropping averages of 14.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.7 percent from deep. He also ranks first in the entire league among those who have seen a minimum of 40 games this year.
Simply put, these metrics are already rather impressive on their own, especially considering how he's predominantly been used in a reserve role with the defending champions.
However, with the fact that he's attached to a three-year, $8.7 million deal, it's easy to see why Swartz believes him to be arguably the "best non-rookie contract" in the association.
With all three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren inking max extensions last summer, it's imperative for the dynasty-pushing Thunder to find ways to surround their Big Three with affordable, complementary talents as they look to duck under the dreaded second apron.
So far into this new era of the CBA, Sam Presti and company have done an ace job doing exactly this, and Mitchell, with his average earnings at sub-2.0 percent of the cap, is without question their biggest bargain acquisition yet.