<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-addresses-ajay-mitchell-maturity-first-career-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Isaiah Hartenstein addresses Thunder Ajay Mitchell’s maturity after first career start');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-news-Isaiah-Hartenstein-address-rookie-Ajay-Mitchells-maturity-after-first-career-start.jpg"></figure><h1>Isaiah Hartenstein addresses Thunder Ajay Mitchell’s maturity after first career start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-29T13:46:34-08:00">December 29th, 1:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-29T13:46:34-08:00">December 29th, 1:46pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With a shorthanded backcourt, missing two of its key defenders in Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, rookie Ajay Mitchell earned his first start for the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 106-94 win against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-ajay-mitchell-bold-take-being-named-nba-rookie-ladder">Mitchell earned a spot in the NBA’s rookie ladder</a>, the second-round pick continues to prove why he’s a standout guard of his 2024 rookie class, and his impact in the starting lineup didn’t go unnoticed by center Isaiah Hartenstein, who applauded Ajay’s approach in the Thunder’s win.</p><p>After the win, Hartenstein <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3O1XFKVwhg" rel="noopener">talked</a> about Mitchell’s maturity on and off the court.</p><p>“He’s very mature for a rookie. I’ve been in the league for a little bit now, and you don’t see that a lot with rookies,” Hartenstein said. “Very mature on and off the court. He did a great job of picking guys up defensively and putting pressure on them. Then, offensively, just making the right play and staying aggressive. What can he be in the league? He can be whatever he wants to be, really. He’s really talented and mature already, and I feel like the more he plays, the more he learns.</p><p>“He’ll definitely keep helping us out and definitely be a good player on a winning team. And I think that means a lot.”</p><p>Mitchell was one of five Thunder starters who scored in double figures against the Hornets as they cruised to their tenth consecutive win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 22 points, Jalen Williams added 20 points, and Aaron Wiggins chipped in 17. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein notched a double-double (12 points, 15 rebounds), and Mitchell finished with 10 points. He also added five rebounds and four assists.</p><h2><b>Ajay Mitchell’s bold take on being named to NBA’s rookie ladder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-rookie-Ajay-Mitchell.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-says-no-excuse-mentality-led-winning-streak">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says Thunder’s ‘no excuse’ mentality</a> led to their winning streak, which has extended to double figures, as Ajay Mitchell filled in for Lu Dort in the starting lineup. However, his latest NBA rookie honor didn’t seem to land as a proud moment in his first season.</p><p>Mitchell’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Cd2orjwNU" rel="noopener">focused</a> on evolving with the Thunder.</p><p>“I don’t really pay attention to that that much, but I think I always have a chip on my shoulder and always believe I’m one of the best rookies of this class,” Mitchell said. “So, just trying to show it every night. Then, my main focus is just to win games and worry about my team. That’s about it.”</p><p>On the second night of a back-t0-back, the Thunder will look to extend it to eleven at home against the Grizzlies.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Isaiah Hartenstein addresses Thunder Ajay Mitchell’s maturity after first career start

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-ajay-mitchell-bold-take-being-named-nba-rookie-ladder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s bold take on being named to the NBA’s rookie ladder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ajay-Mitchells-honest-admission-to-being-named-to-the-NBAs-rookie-ladder.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s bold take on being named to the NBA’s rookie ladder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-28T14:20:16-08:00">December 28th, 2:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-28T14:20:16-08:00">December 28th, 2:20pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Ajay Mitchell was named to the NBA’s Kia rookie ladder this week, cracking the league’s latest top 10 rookie ranking from the Class of 2024. While All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-masterpiece-earns-flowers-from-mark-daigneault">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career-high 45 points</a> in the Thunder’s 120-114 win against the Indiana Pacers, Mitchell supplied nine points in 16 minutes off the bench.</p><p>Coming off his first career double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) in 22 minutes against the Washington Wizards, Mitchell was a plus-22 in the Thunder’s 123-105 win. The second-round pick, 38th overall, caught the attention of the NBA’s weekly rookie rankings. However, Mitchell tries not to spend time keeping track, he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Cd2orjwNU" rel="noopener">explained</a> during the Thunder shootaround.</p><p>“I don’t really pay attention to that that much, but I think I always have a chip on my shoulder and always believe I’m one of the best rookies of this class,” Mitchell said. “So, just trying to show it every night. Then, my main focus is just to win games and worry about my team. That’s about it.”</p><p>As a second-round pick, Mitchell exceeded expectations while locking down a permanent spot in Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault’s player rotation. However, Ajay doesn’t let the pressure of potentially losing his role get to him during his rookie season.</p><p>“It’s a competitive environment. I think that’s what we need to be a great team,” Mitchell added. “So, I’m not really worried about that. I think it’s positive, and it’s good for us.”</p><p>Ajay Mitchell has averaged 12.5 points on 83.3% shooting, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 19.0 minutes in the Thunder’s previous two games.</p><h2><b>Mark Daigneault on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ‘masterpiece’</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-1-1.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder power forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-5-word-reaction-shai-gilgeous-alexander-monster-night">Chet Holmgren gushed over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring</a> dominance in the Thunder’s win against the Pacers. Tying his career-high 45 points on 15-of-22 shooting headlined Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance, but he also stuffed the stat sheet.</p><p>SGA also finished with eight assists, seven rebounds, two blocks, and one steal — which forced Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault to praise his star guard for his extraordinary play.</p><p>“Shai was outstanding tonight. That was a masterpiece,” Daigneault said. “I mean, he was at his own pace the entire night. I thought he moved it out of the early helps and got his teammates activated, but great blend of passing and attacking, great blend of shooting and attacking. He just had total control of the wheel tonight.”</p><p>The Thunder are on a nine-game winning streak and will look to stretch it to ten against the Hornets on Saturday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s bold take on being named to the NBA’s rookie ladder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-jalen-williams-ajay-mitchell-explain-benefits-playing-3-years-college');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s ‘Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell explain benefits of playing 3 years in college');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jalen-Williams-Ajay-Mitchell-explain-benefits-of-playing-3-years-in-college.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder’s ‘Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell explain benefits of playing 3 years in college</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-16T13:45:55-08:00">November 16th, 1:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-16T13:52:24-08:00">November 16th, 1:52pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Ajay Mitchell spent three years at UC Santa Barbara, earning Big West Player of the Year honors in 2023 before the Thunder selected him with the No. 38 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Alongside his teammate Jalen Williams, who spent three years at Santa Clara before entering the league, a reporter asked the two about the benefits of taking the long road after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-dishes-jalen-williams-continued-growth">Thunder’s 99-83 win over the Phoenix Suns</a>.</p><p>Many prospects choose the one-and-done route, whether overseas or at a four-year university. However, Mitchell, the Thunder’s second-round pick, broke through head coach Mark Daigneault’s rotation in 2024-25, perhaps a byproduct of Ajay’s extended collegiate career.</p><p>“It’s just a lot more experience. For me, having three years of college, I feel like, every year I got better, and every year I was kind of preparing myself to be ready to play right away in the NBA,” Mitchell said. “So, I think it really just helped me to learn the game more and be ready to compete at the highest level.”</p><p>For Williams, the Thunder’s 12th overall pick in 2022, the extra time spent at Santa Clara gave Jalen a better sense of approaching the sport from an Xs and Os standpoint.</p><p>“I think every year I just got better throughout that. I think college teaches you how to play basketball in general,” Williams said. “You learn a lot of the Xs and Os just cause the rules are kind of different than the NBA. So, when you get to the NBA, you have a lot more freedom to go out. There’s a lot more space. You’re playing with more talented players.”</p><h2><b>Jalen Williams’ impressive start for 2024-25 Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Thunder-forward-Jalen-Williams.jpg"></figure><p>Oklahoma City Thunder forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-dishes-jalen-williams-continued-growth">Jalen Williams is having an impressive season</a> thus far. Alongside All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams is playing at an elite level for the Western Conference’s best 11-2 Thunder. However, after Friday’s win, Jalen credited Oklahoma City’s organization for seamlessly transitioning from college to the pros.</p><p>“You just kind of learn the game. Then, when you get into a system like this that encourages growth and development, Mark [Daigneault] just throws you out there,” Williams said. “Sometimes to mess up and kind of gives you grace with that to learn and play through mistakes. I think that’s kind of like speeds up our process of learning and getting better as players.”</p><p>Williams is averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Thunder this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.5	1.9	1.8	0.1	0.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.5	1.9	1.8	0.1	0.7

Ajay Mitchell

Latest Ajay Mitchell News

Isaiah Hartenstein addresses Thunder Ajay Mitchell’s maturity after first career start

Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s bold take on being named to the NBA’s rookie ladder

Thunder’s ‘Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell explain benefits of playing 3 years in college

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