With Jalen Williams (ankle) and Chet Holmgren (knee) sidelined for the foreseeable future, Ajay Mitchell has now officially taken on the role of second option in the OKC Thunder offensive pecking order behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Needless to say, he's already making the most of this new-found title of his, as he's currently dropping a career-best 17.0 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor.
Though widely regarded as a highly efficient two-way talent, Mitchell's contributions in the scoring department are now more important than ever, meaning he should be looking to conserve energy on the defensive end in any way he can to better preserve his offensive punch.
Fortunately, the recent additions the Thunder made to their roster should help him do exactly that.
Thunder add defensive-minded talents who can ease Ajay Mitchell's load
Over the past week and change, Oklahoma City has signed two players, Micah Peavy and Dalen Terry, both of whom are seen as athletic, defensive-minded players who can step in and take on perimeter duties when called upon.
This should only stand to benefit the likes of SGA and Mitchell, as both were the two best point-of-attack defenders left standing following the slew of injuries to J-Dub, Cason Wallace (shoulder), and, most recently, Alex Caruso (ankle).
Tasking them with top-two duties on both ends of the floor could have easily been a recipe for disaster, considering their respective usage rates on offense, along with Mitchell's own shady injury history.
Now, with their recent pickups in Peavy and Terry, along with the impending return of Caruso, perimeter reinforcements on the defensive end seem to be coming to the rescue, which should help Mitchell save his energy for the more in-dire-need-of-help offensive side of the ball.
Thunder offense needs all the help it can get
Though the Thunder may have found themselves boasting one of the most dominant offensive units in the entire association over the last several years, here in 2026-27, their efficiency has taken a bit of a hit.
We may only be in the season's infancy stages, but, through seven games played, Oklahoma City ranks toward the bottom of the league in a multitude of key areas, such as points per game (25), field goal percentage (24), three-point percentage (26), and offensive rating (20).
Now, these severe dips are, without question, directly influenced by the widespread injury woes the Thunder have endured during these early days of the season.
Unfortunately, understanding the cause doesn't really help them in their search for a solution in this instance.
Hopefully, adding more defensive talent will help guys like Shai, Ajay, and, assuming he snaps out of his current funk, Jared McCain better preserve their energy to shoulder more of the load on offense and, in turn, help keep the Thunder afloat on this end of the floor.
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