The Rise of Ajay Mitchell
Sure — Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are cool. But what about Ajay Mitchell?
We’re four days into the 2025 NBA season, and we’ve had the privilege to watch the biggest stars show out. In San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama is exploding in gigantic fashion. In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is proving he is the League’s most valuable player. Luka Doncic is already making his mark in Los Angeles. Giannis Antetokounmpo is proving he’s still a force in Milwaukee.
Even with these superstar names on the docket, the thing we think is worth talking about the most here at Point Made is a new man in town: a rising star named Ajay Mitchell.
Point Made has been profiling Ajay Mitchell for quite some time. During the pre-draft process ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, Point Made graded Mitchell as a borderline lottery prospect.
Ajay was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the 2024 draft with the 38th overall pick. This was an absolute steal for the front office in Oklahoma City. If that sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve heard it many, many times before. This brings us to the same question the NBA world asks about every bright young player entering the Thunder’s building: How will a new prospect navigate his way through the deepest and most talented roster in the NBA?
Ajay Mitchell averaged 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.6 steals during his 2024 Summer League debut. He made over 50 percent of his shots from the floor and made 1.2 threes per-game at a 40 percent clip. Ajay’s innate play-making, ball-handling, and shot-creation abilities were on display from the jump.
These key traits — shot creation, ball handling, and playmaking — allow a player like Ajay to thrive both on the ball and off the ball. That’s how Ajay began carving his way into the loaded Oklahoma City rotation. His offensive flexibility compliments everything the Thunder like to do within their offensive system.
By November of 2024, just one month into his rookie season, the second-round pick began solidifying a reserve role on the team. Following injuries to starting-guard Alex Caruso and primary-backup Cason Wallace, Mitchell was able to put his per-minute production on showcase. He scored 13 points in 18 minutes with lights-out shooting during a November 25th game vs. the Sacramento Kings.
Once December of 2024 came around, Ajay’s fluid offensive game had been meshing with the Thunder’s fluid offensive movement. He was not only showcasing an ability to play with the team’s reserves — he was also showcasing an ability to play alongside the starters (which included a soon-to-be MVP). Oklahoma City quickly learned that Mitchell does all of the small things right. He takes and makes his open shots while effortlessly maintaining the ball movement that makes those shots open.
Mitchell suffered a turf toe sprain in January of 2025 that required surgery and 12 weeks of recovery. By the time he returned to action in April, he stepped back into his key reserve role for an Oklahoma City team that was playoff bound and paving their way towards an eventual NBA Championship.
After the Thunder’s Finals run, Ajay went back to work in the 2025 offseason while participating in Summer League for the second-straight year. Mitchell’s work in Summer League allowed him to spend time as the guy on the court instead of a guy in a limited role. His time developing in summer-league play is a testament to the commitment the Thunder organization — and Mitchell himself — has made to his progression into a starting-caliber player.
The 2025 season started 4 days ago, and Ajay has already proven that he is a more-than-capable starter in the NBA. He scored 16 and 26 points in games one and two of the season, respectively. The 26-point performance was a career high. His 16-point performance came in only 14 minutes of action vs. the Houston Rockets, while his 26-point performance came alongside 38 minutes of action in a double-overtime win vs. the Indiana Pacers. It wasn’t just the points vs. the Pacers — he grabbed three rebounds, dished out four assists, and nabbed one steal while shooting 47 percent from the floor and making 100 percent of his eight free-throw attempts.
Mitchell’s most elite asset during the first two games of 2025 has been his ability to score through both on-ball and off-ball actions. But it’s more than just the scoring for a player like Mitchell — he just seems to do everything right. Ajay is operating in the pick-and-roll. He’s leading fast breaks. He’s scoring at multiple levels. The icing on the cake is that Ajay is also a plus defender that poses no liability on defense.
Context is important, which takes us back to this question: How will a new prospect navigate his way through the deepest and most talented roster in the NBA?
Ajay started in game two vs. the Pacers due to injuries elsewhere on the roster. He’s technically still a backup. Jalen Williams is missing the start of the season with a wrist injury, Alex Caruso is out with a concussion, and Cason Wallace is missing time due to a knee sprain. What will happen to Ajay’s playing time once these players return?
Now that Ajay’s breakout has begun, it’s hard to see the Thunder phasing him out as the season moves forward. Ajay is such a complimentary player and rising star — it’s likely he’s forced the organization’s hand into giving him a larger slice of the pie as this season continues. You wouldn’t think the defending champs would need much help on the court, but Mitchell’s ability to be a secondary scoring option can play a key role in Oklahoma City’s success moving forward.
He’s always been a rare prospect whose per-minute production forces him into more minutes. Once he gets more minutes, everyone realizes that his per-minute production stays consistent no matter how many minutes he’s given. The breakout-cycle has started, and now there are new heights to reach.
What’s been our favorite part of Ajay’s game this season? We appreciate you asking. The next time you watch an Ajay Mitchell drive, take note of his dynamic speed. His acceleration and burst into the lane is matched equally by his ability to decelerate just when the time is right. We see shades of Manu Ginobili in Ajay Mitchell.
The Thunder signed Mitchell to a 3-year, $9 million contract on June 29th of this year. In hindsight, this contract is a steal and has already become one of the best contracts in the entire League. Oklahoma City has Mitchell in their long-term plans as an eventual successor to players like Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. Dort and Caruso have contracts that will expire in 2027 and 2029, respectively. Dort’s contract is worth $17 million per season and Caruso’s contract is worth $9 million per season. When a $3 million player like Ajay Mitchell comes around, don’t those two veteran deals sound a bit more expensive than they did before?
We’re not the only ones talking about Ajay Mitchell, of course. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke on Mitchell’s abilities during the post-game press conference of the aforementioned double-overtime win vs. the Pacers on October 23rd:
‘“When you’re playing with him, it’s like a pickup game. He doesn’t need a play called for him. He doesn’t need too much structure. He just goes out there, figures out a way, makes the right basketball play, plays hard, and wins.”
Ajay’s new contract may be the only part of his future that’s written in ink. You’d think the rest of this story is unknown, but we do know a little something about Ajay Mitchell at this point. And the Oklahoma City Thunder surely knows a little something about him as well.
Get used to the name, folks.