Throughout his two seasons with the OKC Thunder, Ajay Mitchell has established himself as one of the best bargain contracts and brightest backcourt prospects the game currently has to offer.
With averages of 13.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 48.5 percent shooting and a cap hit of less than 2.0 percent, it's hard to argue with such labels.
However, despite this growing adulation, there still seems to be one major skill set of his that has flown wildly under the radar up to this point, and, if it were to finally be fully recognized, could easily lead him to the prestigious Sixth Man of the Year award in 2027.
Thunder quietly have one best backcourt defenders in Ajay Mitchell
The Thunder are widely known for being chock-full of elite defensive talents, and while he may not get the praise and coverage that guys like Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren do, Mitchell has excitingly found a way to significantly impact the club's play on the less glamorous side of the ball.
With the 24-year-old on the floor last season, Oklahoma City ranked in the 94 percentile in opponent effective field goal percentage, the 95 percentile in forced turnover percentage, and, most astonishing of all, the 98 percentile in opponent points per 100 possessions.
Among players who logged 30 or more games on the year, Mitchell also found himself placing third on the Thunder in defensive rating at 102.5 and led the league as a whole in defensive two-point percentage (minimum 200 shots defended) at 43.0.
Yes, Ajay Mitchell has earned well-deserved praise for his offensive abilities, which came in handy during the club's injury-plagued 2026 playoff run when, while filling in as the number two scoring weapon in the wake of Jalen Williams' hamstring strain, he posted a highly impressive 18.4 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the floor through seven starts.
However, perhaps lost in the hype of this offensively-focused modern era of the game are his tremendous defensive skills.
More recognition for defensive play should bode well for Thunder guard
Despite little attention being brought to his production on this end of the floor, Mitchell was still able to place fifth in the running for last season's 6MOY award.
With Spurs star Victor Wembanyama reminding voters during last season's awards campaign that defense is 50 percent of the game, a sentiment that seemingly helped skyrocket his candidacy for MVP, perhaps more attention will be focused on a player's efforts in this area of play when ballots are being cast next spring.
If he can take full advantage of what is expected to be a much larger role on offense this season, what with the departures of fellow spark plug bench scorers Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, while maintaining his same level of production on the defensive end, there's a real shot that Mitchell could run away with the illustrious sixth man honor.
He's an absolute stud on both ends of the ball, and voters need to start respecting the less-publicized side of the sport.
Doing so should only stand to benefit Mitchell.
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