Let's get it out of the way. The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their first game of this year's playoffs in a double-overtime thriller to the San Antonio Spurs. It came on the back of a superhuman performance from Victor Wembanyama.
There's no reason to panic yet, though. The Thunder have championship experience. If they're able to take Game 2 at home, they'll be in strong position heading out to San Antonio. But knowing Mark Daigneault and the rest of his coaching staff, this game won't simply be wiped off the record. There will be adjustments made, and there will be tweaks to the rotation.
Notably, Oklahoma City got their secondary star back in Jalen Williams in Game 1. He played excellently, posting 26 points on 11-of-25 shooting. But the Thunder were -3 with him on the floor, and they were -15 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Meanwhile, Ajay Mitchell, who was the offensive star of their last series, saw ample minutes over the course of the game, but it's clear his offensive opportunities were clearly cut off by Williams' return. As Williams finds his footing again, the Thunder must answer a difficult question.
What price are they willing to pay to get Mitchell back into the offensive fold, and could it come at the expense of some of Williams' opportunities?
Thunder must weight the costs and benefits of getting Ajay Mitchell extra opportunities
As Gilgeous-Alexander said, there's a strong chance that Mitchell was the Thunder's best player in their second-round series. Across four games, he averaged 22.5 points, three rebounds, and six assists, while shooting 56.3% from the floor on high volume (16 field-goal attempts per game).
In Game 1 against the Spurs, he posted just four points on five field-goal attempts.
Don't get it wrong— Williams played excellently. Once he found his stride in the course of the game, he was a significant downhill threat for Oklahoma City. He also didn't really seem hindered in any way by the hamstring injuries he's faced all season. He and Gilgeous-Alexander, and even Williams alone as the primary threat, grants the Thunder a complexion that few teams can deal with.
Mitchell grants a similarly dynamic, if different, complexion. He's able to take the ball into his hands and make the right plays, either hitting the right man or turning the corner on his defender and getting downhill. There's a certain quickness and creativity the tandem of Mitchell and Gilgeous-Alexander play with that isn't always there when Williams is on the court.
Both players have their skill-sets, and this is not even really a question of minutes. Williams played 37 in Game 1, while Mitchell played 33.
But establishing Mitchell as an offensive threat could be one of the keys to overcoming the Spurs' swarming defense, especially if Gilgeous-Alexander continues to struggle. There will be ways to get him those shots. It's not likely that Alex Caruso takes 19 field-goal attempts in every game in this series.
But it also isn't sustainable for Williams to take 25 attempts and still allow room for Mitchell in the equation. The question is, will the Thunder be willing to cut into some of Williams' opportunities in order to open that door for the rapidly developing young guard?
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