<!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', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-ajay-mitchell-breakout-first-week-him-firmly-most-improved-player-race');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ajay Mitchell’s breakout first week for Thunder has him firmly in Most Improved Player race');   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/2025/10/Thunder-guard-Ajay-Mitchell_ff9c9b.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Ajay Mitchell’s breakout first week for Thunder has him firmly in Most Improved Player race</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-29T14:45:44-07:00">October 29th, 2:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-29T14:45:44-07:00">October 29th, 2:45pm</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>Amidst <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/1-overreaction-all-30-nba-teams-first-week-of-2025-26-season">the 2025-26 NBA season’s first-week overreactions</a>, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell received serious consideration for this year’s Most Improved Player award from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Mannix, who’s calling the race early. Mitchell continues to make headway for the Thunder in a secondary scorer/playmaker role amid All-Star Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe’s absence throughout the regular season.</p><p>Mitchell, who was on a two-way deal last season, earned coach Mark Daigneault’s trust throughout training camp, preseason, and two double-overtime wins for the shorthanded defending champions, and thrived. Mitchell scored a career-high 26 points in a 141-135 victory against the Indiana Pacers.</p><p>For Mannix, Mitchell’s journey coupled with his production, which is sustainable as the Thunder’s leading bench scorer this season, should make the second-round pick the favorite to win <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOTKkry_C64" rel="noopener">the Most Improved Player award</a>, he said, per Sports Illustrated’s Rachel Nichols &amp; Chris Mannix.</p><p>“He is my first that’s a wrap for the award — he’s Most Improved [Player],” Mannix said. “He’s most improved. He’s a second-round pick. I’m not the guy that votes for the lottery pick that gets a lot better — I hate that. These guys are supposed to get better. It’s the second-round pick that played 36 games a year ago on a two-way deal. That is now looking like a fringey All-Star guy early on.</p><p>“Not that he’s gonna get there. But if he’s averaging like 15 and 5 on Oklahoma City, which means he could be averaging like 20 and 10 on Washington or Utah, c’mon, that’s a shoo-in,” Mannix concluded.</p><p>Mitchell is averaging 18.3 points on 47.5% shooting, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals in 27.3 minutes per game.</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops Ajay Mitchell Thunder revelation</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-guard-Ajay-Mitchell-2_0c4d0a.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder second-year guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-revelation-breakout-star-jalen-williams-absence">Ajay Mitchell’s intensity as a competitor stood out most</a> since training camp. Gilgeous-Alexander says he recognized Mitchell’s hunger before the start of the regular season, making Ajay’s breakout week not much of a surprise for the league’s reigning MVP.</p><p>“He’s such a competitor that you can see by his intensity in practice — how he walks around the building,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He competes and wants to go out there and play. We’ve seen that since the beginning of the season. Stepped into a big role. He’s been like a second ball-handler for us. He’s been huge in some really big games against really good teams, and it’s no surprise that he’s shown up in those moments.”</p><p>The Thunder will shoot for 6-0 when it hosts the Wizards on Thursday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ajay Mitchell’s breakout first week for Thunder has him firmly in Most Improved Player race

<!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', '/nba/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-credits-luxury-behind-ajay-mitchell-immediate-impact');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein credits ‘luxury’ behind Ajay Mitchell’s immediate impact');   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/2025/10/Thunder-guard-Ajay-Mitchell_1ee91f.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein credits ‘luxury’ behind Ajay Mitchell’s immediate impact</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-28T16:52:17-07:00">October 28th, 4:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-28T16:52:17-07:00">October 28th, 4:52pm</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>Amid the Oklahoma City Thunder’s laundry list of injuries to its roster, including All-Star Jalen Williams and reserve guard Isaiah Joe, no one’s stepped up more than sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell, which didn’t go unnoticed by veteran Isaiah Hartenstein. Williams and Joe have yet to make their regular-season debut. Before Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-alex-caruso-injury-updates-before-kings-clash">Chet Holmgren was added to the injury list</a>. Through it all, Mitchell’s remained consistent.</p><p>Through four games, the 2024 second-round pick is averaging 18.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. Ajay Mitchell has emerged as a go-to option off the bench, which Hartenstein <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WjWytvGkO8" rel="noopener">addressed</a> after Monday’s 101-94 win against the Dallas Mavericks.</p><p>“I think he’s just very mature. I think that’s what I saw from day one. I think that’s the luxury you get when you draft a guy who’s a little older,” Hartenstein said. “He has confidence. He doesn’t shy away from the game. He approaches the game the right way, and I think that’s why you see how comfortable he is right now.”</p><p>Mitchell scored 17 points on 7-for-14 from the floor. He also finished with seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 27 minutes off the bench.</p><h2><b>Isaiah Hartenstein on Chet Holmgren’s growth for Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-forward-Chet-Holmgren-1-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-reveals-chet-holmgren-biggest-area-growth">Isaiah Hartenstein sees Chet Holmgren’s growth in 2025-26</a>. From their championship run in last year’s playoffs to offseason workouts that featured sessions with NBA shooting coach Drew Hanlen, Hartenstein isn’t surprised by Holmgren’s impressive start to the regular season.</p><p>Hartenstein spoke on Holmgren’s gains after Monday’s win against the Mavericks.</p><p>“His confidence, but also just playing through contact. I think that’s where he’s been a lot better in,” Hartenstein said. “I’ve been with him all summer, seen the work he put in with Drew Hanlen, and you’re kind of just seeing it right now. You’re seeing this confidence. You’re seeing what he’s been doing for our team, and he’s also just healthy, too. I think those two big keys — his confidence and him being healthy — he’s one of the best bigs in the league.”</p><p>Holmgren is averaging 23.0 points on 56.9% shooting, including 41.7% from deep, 10.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He’s on pace for a standout campaign. Perhaps his breakout year, one similar to All-Star Jalen Williams, of Holmgren’s 2022 draft class, in 2024-25.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein credits ‘luxury’ behind Ajay Mitchell’s immediate impact

<!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', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-ajay-mitchell-awesome-nikola-topic-admission-summer-league');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s ‘awesome’ Nikola Topic admission during Summer League');   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/2025/07/Thunder-guard-Ajay-Mitchell_1126c3.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s ‘awesome’ Nikola Topic admission during Summer League</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-11T15:17:15-07:00">July 11th, 3:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-11T15:17:15-07:00">July 11th, 3:17pm</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>For the first time since being selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 NBA Draft, Ajay Mitchell and first-round pick Nikola Topic are competing alongside one another amid Summer League. After a 90-81 win against the Brooklyn Nets, Mitchell gave his initial impressions of sharing the floor with the Thunder’s 12th overall pick. In his first Summer League, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-nikola-topic-slapped-harsh-reality-nba">Topic talked about his first back-to-back</a> since his return from a torn left ACL.</p><p>For Mitchell, Topic’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_N8CtaIjw4" rel="noopener">high basketball IQ stands out most</a> as the two guards have been the Thunder’s starting backcourt throughout Summer League play.</p><p>“Props to him. It’s never easy to have that type of injury and get back, and I think he’s been great,” Mitchell said. “Just getting back in rhythm. We can see he’s a high-IQ guard. He knows the game very well, and he’s very young. So, it’s great to see him out there and able to play again.”</p><p>It’s been an enjoyable experience for Mitchell, thus far.</p><p>“It’s our first time playing together. So, it’s awesome to learn how to play with him and know his game very well,” Mitchell said. “It’s a great experience for me. I love it.”</p><p>Mitchell was impressed with his comfort level on offense, despite being only 19.</p><p>“Just his IQ, really,” Mitchell added. “The way he can find guys. The way that he plays is at his own pace. It’s rare to see that at a young age. He’s 19 and to be able to do that, he impresses me on that, for sure.”</p><h2><b>Nikola Topic impressed by Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Thunder-rookie-Nikola-Topic_c7ef60.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With his first NBA season under his belt, Ajay Mitchell, the Thunder’s 2024 second-round pick, has made strides in his rookie season. It shows amid Summer League play. Thunder rookie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-nikola-topic-summer-league-success-rich-keep-getting-richer">Nikola Topic discussed his first Summer League</a> and what’s stood out most about sharing the backcourt with Mitchell.</p><p>Topic says Mitchell’s role as the Thunder’s facilitator has impressed him most, and he was quick to respond when a reporter asked what playing alongside Mitchell is like.</p><p>“Easy. He’s a great player, especially at point guard,” Topic said. “He can bring the ball up. He can play off the catch. He can play pick-and-roll. He’s a really great player. It’s easy to play with him.”</p><p>The Summer League could be a tune-up for the tandem, a preview of what’s to come in 2025-26.</p><p>“It will happen sometimes,” Topic added. “I’m just happy to start the season.”</p><p>The Thunder will face the Nets on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell’s ‘awesome’ Nikola Topic admission during Summer League

<!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', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-ajay-mitchell-earns-dynamic-praise-standout-summer-league-opener');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell earns ‘dynamic’ praise after standout Summer League opener');   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/2025/07/Thunder-guard-Ajay-Mitchell.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell earns ‘dynamic’ praise after standout Summer League opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-06T16:09:49-07:00">July 6th, 4:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-06T16:09:49-07:00">July 6th, 4:09pm</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’s 2024 second-round pick, Ajay Mitchell, showed the significant strides he’s made with a rookie campaign under his belt. The champion guard shined in a 92-80 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. After the Thunder’s 15th overall pick, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-signs-first-round-pick-multi-year-contract">Thomas Sober inked a four-year rookie deal</a>, he was forced to sit out while recovering from a season-ending foot injury.</p><p>At the same time, Mitchell’s 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, six assists, and one steal led the Thunder. He also impressed Summer League head coach Daniel Dixon, who <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UCWzCsmQq8" rel="noopener">sang his praises after the loss</a>.</p><p>“Ajay’s a really dynamic player. If you put him in space, he’s really good. He’s really fast with the ball. He also shares the ball really well. He did a great job. He’s stepping into a leadership role, and I thought he did a really good job of handling that, taking more on his shoulders there. And I think that’s just another growth opportunity for him.”</p><p>There’s a reason the second-round pick didn’t spend anytime with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, in 2024-25. Mitchell often answered the phone when called upon for additional playing time. As the third-string guard in Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault’s depth chart, Ajay stayed ready and delivered in spurts, especially on the defensive end of the floor.</p><p>Ajay Mitchell made 36 regular-season appearances for the Thunder while averaging 6.5 points on 49.5% shooting, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in 16.6 minutes per game during the regular season.</p><h2><b>Nikola Topic makes his Thunder Summer League debut</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Thunder-guard-Nikola-Topic_758753.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Thunder’s 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-how-2024-lottery-pick-played-summer-league-season-long-injury">Nikola Topic made his summer league debut</a> against the Grizzlies. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, four assists, and two steals. After the game, Thunder Summer League head coach Daniel Dixon revealed his first impressions of Topic.</p><p>“Really excited for him. Just for him to be back on the floor. Being part of his process in terms of him getting back on the court, he’s put in a ton of work,” Dixon said about Topic. “He’s a really young player, really excited for him to build his baseline as a player. I thought today, he did a really good job at just coming out and letting the game tell him what to do.”</p><p>For Mitchell, he’s taking on a role that aligns with a second-year guard coming off of a championship run.</p><p>“I think that’s what I gotta do in my second Summer League,” Mitchell said. “So, I gotta help in any way I can.”</p><p>Mitchell and the Thunder will face the third overall pick, VJ Edgecombe and the 76ers on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell earns ‘dynamic’ praise after standout Summer League opener

<!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>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
18.2	3.8	3.0	0.2	1.2

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
18.2	3.8	3.0	0.2	1.2

Ajay Mitchell news

Ajay
Mitchell news