Ajay Mitchell turned in quite the opening audition for the No. 2 scoring role when he dropped 30 points in a 125-114 win over the Phoenix Suns. It was a statement game from Mitchell, who shot 10-of-16 from the field and also had five assists to just one turnover, in the Oklahoma City Thunder's first outing since losing Jalen Williams to a potential season-ending injury.
In the process, Mitchell showed how the Thunder could redefine their offensive identity with a more assertive player in the secondary scoring role.
The argument here isn't that Mitchell is a better player than Williams, as it's simply too soon to even broach that subject. Williams is a skilled scorer and playmaker who also ranks among the best defensive wings in the NBA, with All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defense nods on his résumé.
Williams is also a proven postseason player with the feather in his cap of scoring 40 points in an NBA Finals game during the Thunder's championship season.
What Mitchell offers, however, is a more assertive mentality from a pure scoring perspective. If Oklahoma City leans into that, then Mitchell could be a more productive second scoring option and thus give the Thunder a chance to define new offensive roles.
Oklahoma City's depth in scoring, playmaking, and ball-handling shouldn't be compromised, but it can be redefined by Mitchell's emergence as a true No. 2 from a scoring perspective.
Ajay Mitchell's assertive scoring mentality can redefine offensive roles
Gilgeous-Alexander is the obvious offensive focal point as a two-time MVP and a former scoring champion. What the Thunder lack beyond him at the moment, however, is certainty in terms of who fits where and what that might entail for the team at large.
Williams' career-best averages of 21.6 points per game and 24.0 per 36 minutes were by no means insufficient when he was healthy, but mentality plays a part and Mitchell looks like more of a score-first player.
Mitchell will still be leaned on to provide value as a playmaker, much as Williams was. What he's displayed early in his career, however, is a willingness to continue imposing his will on a game when his shot is falling and thus keep pressure on a defense that now has to question whether it can double-team the most efficient perimeter scorer in the game.
In turn, the rest of the Thunder's players can operate even more freely on offense with roles that are more clearly defined and opportunities more easily earned.
Thunder can give minutes to new players, establish clearer role
Aday Mara, for instance, could receive more minutes at center as the Thunder's needs on offense change. Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren will still take precedence, of course, but a shift in approach could entail a change to the overall ideology of the team.
Along those same lines, players such as Jared McCain and Bennett Stirtz could gain even more minutes due to their ability to space the floor alongside an aggressive top-two scorers.
Furthermore, Holmgren's questionable attention to scoring can be more easily forgiven with Mitchell embracing the burden of a second option. He won't need to fill Williams' shoes, but instead stay the course in his medium-volume, high-efficiency capacity.
Mark Daigneault can then stagger his complementary scorers and playmakers with the knowledge that, if nothing else, Holmgren can knock down the shots they create for him.
Sans Holmgren, who missed the game, this was all on display during Oklahoma City's first outing without Williams. McCain took 14 shots, Mara and Stirtz set career highs in minutes played, and Alex Caruso settled into a spacer role. Holmgren returning to the lineup will change certain elements, but not enough that the identity of the team will need to completely change.
The Thunder still have a tall task ahead of them as far as winning without Williams is concerned, but Mitchell playing with an assertive scoring mentality can open up the floor for all of his teammates.
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