- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,258,260
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images
The calendar has flipped to August. Which means we're in the annual drought in the NBA's year-round calendar. Don't expect much to happen over the next couple of months. Teams across the league are in vacation mode and just waiting for the 2026-27 season to start.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short of a second NBA championship, but remain in the meat of the title conversation. Bringing back mostly the same crew, expect them to be one of the league's top teams for a fourth straight year.
To prepare for the 2026-27 regular season, Thunder Wire will lay out three goals for all 17 players on the roster. OKC has 14 standard players and three two-way players. Let's look at Ajay Mitchell and what he could accomplish this upcoming year:
Stay healthy
This has probably been the biggest knock on Mitchell's first two years. He just can't stay healthy. He played in 36 games his rookie season. A toe turf surgery cost him three months. And then he only played in 57 games this past season. Various injuries sidelined him. Eventually, a soleus strain cost him the final four games of OKC's epic duel in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. If he's going to be important to your success, he has to be more reliable in his availability.
Perhaps Mitchell can chill out on the head-down, shoulders-up drives to the rim. Rely more on your jumper. It's fewer football-esque collisions. Sure, that's what has made him into one of OKC's top players. But it's come at a price. Too often, his physical drives to the rim have caused an injury. That's one way to avoid injuries. Or maybe there's nothing wrong that he's done. Could be just a case of bad luck. Either way, let's hope he finally enjoys a healthy year.
Sixth Man buzz
Enjoying a breakout year, Mitchell catapulted to the top of OKC's rotation this past year. He was the secondary ball-handler they've desperately needed over the years. He put his name on the map when he averaged 22 points in their four-game sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers. That type of outing in the NBA playoffs will garner you fame. Now, it's about taking the next step in his career. Especially with the vacuum of possessions up for grabs.
The table is set up for Mitchell to continue to ascend. He'll have every opportunity to build up some Sixth Man of the Year buzz. Not saying he should win the award, but the Thunder are one of the league's best teams. They'll be on national TV every other night. You'll subconsciously be in voters' minds more often because of that. He can leverage that attention by being a double-digit scorer again. If he can put up numbers consistently, he should pretty easily get in the conversation for best bench player.
Up free-throw attempts
This is the key to every NBA scorer. If you can figure out the free throws, then your scoring average is about to bump up. Ask Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Next in line? Probably Mitchell. He has the best scoring bag among the complementary pieces. Considering how drive-heavy he is, he should be able to draw contact on a regular basis. He averaged 2.8 free-throw attempts last season. That number should balloon considering the Thunder will add more to his plate.
Drawing contact is all about driving to the rim. If you go straight in the teeth of the opposition's defense, you'll likely get bumped into. Mitchell plays a blue-collar style of getting buckets. It's now about selling the contact. That's one area he can improve on. Sure, he gets beat up a ton in the paint. But he doesn't make it a point to call out the referees for whistles. At this point, he has enough cache to do that. And with the secretive fourth level of scoring unlocked, he could add more points.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder 3 goals: Ajay Mitchell should generate Sixth Man award buzz
Continue reading...
