Averaged 16.1 points per game! With the 38th pick in the second year, have the Thunder found another treasure?

As we all know, the Thunder this season is very powerful.

After winning the last game against the Kings, the Thunder once again won 7 consecutive games, with a current record of 15 wins and 1 loss, ranking first in the league.

For comparison, last season's Thunder finished the first 15 games with 11 wins and 4 losses, and the final record was 68 wins and 14 losses; this season, despite giving up a Jaywe, they actually got off to an even crazier start, and may be on track to hit 70 wins.

This Thunder has many outstanding players. SGA is still at the MVP + scoring champion level. Holmgren is likely to be selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career. Harten, Dort, Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Wallace, Wiggins and others also performed very well.

However, the "most surprising" Thunder player must be Ajay Mitchell.

Ajay Mitchell is the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 class. Fortunately for him, he successfully won the championship with the Thunder in his rookie season. However, objectively speaking, his contribution to this championship was relatively limited:

- In the regular season, he only played 36 games, averaging 16.6 minutes per game. To 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists

- Played only 12 games in the playoffs, averaging 7 minutes per game, 3.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists

This season, due to Jaywe's injury, Ajay Mitchell got more opportunities, and he did not disappoint Daignault's expectations.

In the 16 games so far, Mitchell has played full attendance, scoring in double figures in 15 of them, averaging 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 44.3%/30.0%/91.5% and a true shooting percentage of 54.7%.

His scoring ranks third on the team, second only to SGA and Holmgren, and his steals rank eighth in the league, which is equivalent to teammate Caruso. Note that compared to last season, Mitchell's scoring has increased by nearly 10 points, which is already the level of the most improved player.

Several representative games:

- Against the Pacers, he made 9 of 19 in the game, scoring 26 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists

- Against the Trail Blazers, he made 7 of 11 in the game, scoring 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists

- Against the Kings, he made 5 of 12 in the game, scoring 18 points 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals

- Against the Grizzlies, he made 8 of 15 from the field and scored 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals

The Thunder's strongest point is their defense. Without Jaywee, they actually lost a lot of firepower on the perimeter. In this context, Mitchell became the biggest surprise.

He has shown a very comprehensive scoring method, he can not only break through and finish, but also shoot in the mid-range, and his free throws are extremely stable (83 of 94 free throws so far this season, shooting rate 91.5%). In some games, opponents have begun to double-team Mitchell, which shows how good his personal offense is.

In addition, Mitchell is also an above-average defender. He is 1.93 meters tall and has a wingspan of 1.99 meters. He has excellent defensive awareness and stealing ability. He can match up in multiple positions and provide good perimeter defense quality.

However, Mitchell also has some areas that need to be improved. For example, he was originally considered an excellent three-point guard. His three-point shooting percentage reached 39.3% in his final year of college and 38.3% in his NBA rookie season. But so far this season, it is only 30%. Among them, he has made 14 of 46 wide-open three-pointers, and his shooting percentage is only 30.4%.

As well as his passing vision and willingness to share the ball, he can pass the ball, but he prefers to take the ball alone than pass the ball. The best position for this type of defender should be the sixth man. The injuries of Jaywee and Aaron Wiggins really gave him too many opportunities this season. Of course, he also seized the opportunity.

Here, I have to admire the vision and operation of the Thunder management.

Mitchell is an older rookie. He played at the University of California, Santa Barbara for three years. He was nearly 22 years old at the time of the draft and was not favored. The prediction was that he would lose the draft, but the Thunder still selected him with the 38th overall pick. His vision was very vicious.

Generally speaking, it would be good for a player with the 38th pick to gain a foothold in the NBA, but now Mitchell is serving as the main substitute/starter in a top team, and even has the possibility of becoming the most improved player (which is difficult based on the MIP evaluation standards in the past many years).

What's even more amazing is the operation. Mitchell renewed his contract with the Thunder this summer, and the contract is only 8.7 million for three years. Yes, this season he has performed at the sixth man level of a strong team, with an annual salary of only 3 million, and only 2.85 million and 2.85 million in the last two seasons.

This inevitably reminds people of the Thunder's other top operation on the sixth man. Aaron Wiggins signed with the Thunder in the summer of 2024. The contract is only 45 million for five years and is still decreasing. The annual salary was 11.19 million when he won the championship last season and 7.99 million in the last year of the 2028-29 season. It can be said that it is these very cheap contracts that give the Thunder space to give Alexander, Jay Wei, and Holmgren the maximum salary.

Returning to Ajay Mitchell, it is conceivable that after Jaywee and Wiggins return, his playing time and data will shrink. But before that, Mitchell is writing his own story to his heart's content. Continue to appreciate and observe.