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The calendar has flipped to August. Which means we're in the dog days of the NBA's year-round calendar. Little will happen over the next two months as teams across the league prepare for the 2026-27 season. Before we move on, though, let's reflect one last time on last year.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a league-best 64-18 regular-season record. Juggling injuries all year, they overcame notable absences all year. Alas, they fell short of a second NBA championship with a 2026 Western Conference Finals exit.
To reflect on their 2025-26 season, Thunder Wire will conduct player grades for all 20 players who suited up for them this past year. Seventh up is Ajay Mitchell, who had a breakout year across the board:
2025-26 statistics:
- 13.6 points
- 3.3 rebounds
- 3.6 assists
- 1.2 steals
- 48.5% shooting
- 34.7% 3-point shooting
- 87.0% free-throw shooting
Advanced stats:
- True-shooting percentage: 58.5%
- Usage rate: 21.8%
- Win shares: 4.8
- VORP: 1.4
- Steal percentage: 2.3%
Significant Percentile Finishes:
- Isolation scorer: 82.3 percentile
- Transition scorer: 73.0 percentile
- P&R ball-handler: 77.7 percentile
- Cutter: 51.9 percentile
Contract:
- 2026-27: $2.9 million
- 2027-28: $2.9 million (team option)
Thoughts:
Shattering any reasonable expectations, Mitchell skyrocketed to near the top of OKC's rotation. He joins the long list of guys who are some of their best developmental stories ever. The 24-year-old was one of the best parts of their season. Very few people thought he'd end up as important as he became by the end of the NBA playoffs. In an injury-riddled year, he was one of the beneficiaries by graduating into a double-digit scorer.
By the regular season's second game, it was obvious the type of leap Mitchell was about to have. He exploded for 26 points in an overtime win over the Indiana Pacers. From that point forward, he was a consistent double-digit scoring threat. As Jalen Williams spent most of the year on the sidelines, he turned into Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's impromptu Robin. The more reps he gained, the more comfortable he looked.
Mitchell played a blue-collar style of basketball. The drive-heavy scorer went straight into the teeth of the defense. Even if his bumper-car-esque downhill drives resulted in injuries and bruises. His constant rim pressure showed off his finesse around the rim. And when he was in a rhythm, his hubris manifested with daring mid-range jumpers that he drilled in. Even his outside jumper became friendlier with him. Albeit on a small sample. In total, he was one of their best bucket-getters. The advanced metrics back it up, too.
The Thunder loved how Mitchell morphed into one of their top scorers. Desperately needing another ball-handler to emerge, he took the reins. His scalability was also another weapon of his. While he was mostly in a Sixth Man role, he'd occasionally start. He showed that he can excel in both an on-ball and off-ball role. He wasn't frightened to put up a ton of shot attempts. Just like how he was cool taking a backseat if that's what the game's flow called for.
Another reason why the Thunder fed Mitchell as many minutes as he could take? He was sneakily a plus-defender. He averaged 1.2 steals. And his build allowed him to stay in front of perimeter scorers. Because he was part of the league-best defense filled with some of the top defenders, he didn't get as much shine. But make no doubt about it, he was part of OKC's defensive machine.
Even though the Thunder fell shy of a second NBA championship, Mitchell's blossoming is one of the brighter spots. He averaged a jaw-dropping 22 points in their Round 2 sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers. That's when he entered the scene on a national level. His elevation from a two-way rookie to a second-year important piece has completely changed the dynamics on OKC's roster. Now, he's one of their more important players to their success and a must-keep.
Moving Forward:
Considering their offseason moves, the Thunder have rolled out the red carpet for Mitchell. They're full believers that he can add more to his plate. And considering how humungous his second-year leap was, hard to blame them. The shot-hungry scorer will get all of the attempts he wants as he becomes one of OKC's six most important players for the foreseeable future.
Mitchell will have all of the runway to up his averages across the board. He should easily become a 15-point scorer. Just from simply adding a few more shot attempts to his shot diet. The drive-heavy scorer could also take a page out of Gilgeous-Alexander's book by unlocking the secretive fourth scoring level. He bumped up to 2.8 free-throw attempts last season. That number should balloon. Especially if he sticks to his football-esque style of driving to the rim through contact.
Of course, for all this to happen, Mitchell has to stay healthy. That's something he's struggled with in his NBA career. He only played 36 regular-season games in his rookie year. A toe surgery cost him three months. And this past season, several lower-extremity injuries limited him to 57 regular-season games. And then a soleus strain turned out to be a season-ender as he missed the last four games of OKC's epic duel in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
Don't know what Mitchell has to do differently, but he can't have another year where he plays fewer than 65 games. He's simply too important to their operation now. Chalk up the first two years to bad luck or a physical playing style taxing his legs. Either way, that's got to change. Especially since he'll be eligible for a contract extension next summer. He needs a huge third season to ease OKC's minds by backing up the Brinks trucks.
But I think everything will work out for Mitchell. It'd be best for both parties if he adds to his breakout. All he needs to do is up his volume. Don't think that'll be a problem for him. The 24-year-old showed he can be a top-three player in a playoff series sweep last year. It's now about downsizing that production to the regular season. He has all types of momentum riding from his postseason explosion. Now it's about riding that jetpack to this upcoming year.
Final Grade: A-minus
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2025-26 Thunder player grades: Ajay Mitchell
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