The OKC Thunder are the definition of a "next man up" ball club, as their depth is so elite that they're seamlessly able to plug-and-play at any position without skipping a beat. In the wake of Ajay Mitchell's recent hip injury sustained on Wednesday in a win over the Bucks, they may once again be forced to put this incredible ability of theirs to the test.
Fortunately, they already have the perfect replacement option waiting in their reserves.
Though many may consider Cason Wallace the obvious player coach Mark Daigneault should look to for increased usage should it be determined that Mitchell will need to miss extended time, the more appropriate beneficiary of his absence should be Aaron Wiggins.
Thunder must turn to Aaron Wiggins should Ajay Mitchell miss time
This season, Mitchell has established himself as arguably the second-best offensive player on the Thunder behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Through 43 games played, the point guard is dropping impressive averages of 14.1 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the floor and 35.0 percent shooting from deep, and exited the latest bout against Milwaukee with a career-high 18 first-half points.
Yes, from a positional standpoint, Wallace taking on more minutes in the event of a possible multi-game absence for Mitchell is undoubtedly logical. However, his role is innately that of a defender first and a scorer second.
With this, Oklahoma City could use someone else to provide some of the offensive firepower left behind by their breakout sophomore, and Wiggins could easily fill in for that void.
Like Mitchell, Wiggins is a player who can efficiently buy a bucket both off the catch (boasts a 61.8 effective field goal percentage in catch-and-shoot scenarios) and in isolation (50.0 effective field goal percentage).
Here in his fifth season with the Thunder, the wing is unsurprisingly putting forth yet another strong campaign, as he's posting per-game averages of 10.4 points, 3.4 boards, and 1.7 assists while shooting 45.4 percent from the floor and 39.0 percent from deep.
Before Mitchell's emergence in 2025-26, it was Wiggins who was widely regarded as Oklahoma City's trustworthy "super sub."
Now, should the Santa Barbara product be shelved, the man who saved basketball should be tasked with trying to salvage the offensive production left behind in his wake.
Though losing Mitchell for any number of games would be a true blow, with Wiggins in tow, OKC is capable of staying more than just afloat.