Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Stuffs stat sheet in SL win
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Mitchell amassed 19 points (6-14 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-7 FT), eight assists, five rebounds and two steals across 26 minutes in Tuesday's 86-82 Summer League loss to Utah.
Mitchell led the Thunder in scoring while dishing out a game-best eight assists, albeit in a losing effort. The 23-year-old point guard has now tallied at least 16 points and five assists in all three of the Thunder's Summer League outings. While Oklahoma City boasts considerable backcourt depth, Mitchell could carve out a consistent role in the club's rotation during the 2025-26 campaign and will likely compete for minutes with Nikola Topic behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Stuffs stat sheet in SL win
Rotowire
Mitchell tallied 16 points (3-11 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 9-9 FT), five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal across 25 minutes in Monday's 89-78 Summer League win over the 76ers.
Mitchell couldn't match his impressive scoring performance from Saturday, when he poured in 24 points on 55.6 percent shooting, but he made a strong all-around impact in Monday's win. The guard saw a decent amount of action as a rookie during the 2024-25 regular season, averaging 6.5 points on 49.5 percent shooting in 16.6 minutes across 36 games, including one start. The Thunder have a deep roster but clearly value Mitchell, having signed him to a three-year, $9 million deal this offseason.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Excels in summer opener
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Mitchell logged 24 points (10-18 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six assists, one rebound and one steal across 27 minutes Saturday in the Thunder's 92-80 loss to the Grizzlies in the Salt Lake City Summer League.
After averaging 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists over 36 appearances with Oklahoma City as a rookie, Mitchell recently agreed to a new three-year, $9 million deal with the Thunder. At least in the early going of summer ball, Mitchell looks as though he'll handle a key playmaking and scoring role in the Oklahoma City backcourt alongside 2024 first-round pick Nikola Topic (knee), who is healthy again after missing all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL. Mitchell and Topic could head into training camp essentially in a competition for a spot in a deep group of guards headlined by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and which also includes Luguentz Dort, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Expected to sign with OKC
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Mitchell intends to sign a three-year contract worth nearly $9 million with the Thunder, Shams Charania of ESPN reports Sunday.
Mitchell is expected to return to Oklahoma City on a longer-term deal after the club declined its team option in his contract for 2025-26. The 23-year-old appeared in 36 regular-season outings (one start) during his rookie season, averaging 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 16.6 minutes per game.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Makes cameo Sunday
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Mitchell tallied no counting stats in one minute during Sunday's 103-91 win over Indiana in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Mitchell saw brief action in Sunday's championship win but didn't record a stat. The rookie appeared in just over half of Oklahoma City's playoff games, playing in 12 of 23 and averaging 7.0 minutes in those contests. During the regular season, he averaged 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 16.6 minutes across 36 games, including one start.
Mitchell racked up 14 points (6-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), one assist and one steal over 19 minutes during Saturday's 143-101 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder was no match for the Timberwolves, waving the white flag early and consequently affording the bench unit with some extra run. Mitchell made the most of a rare opportunity, matching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a team-high 14 points. Mitchell has not been on the court when it matters thus far during the playoffs, making this nothing more than an outlier.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Tallies nine points in return
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Mitchell (toe) recorded nine points (4-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five assists and one steal across 18 minutes in Friday's 145-111 win over the Jazz.
Suiting up for the first time since Jan. 3 after a lengthy recovery from surgery to address a right big toe sprain, Mitchell ended up taking on a decent-sized role off the bench while the Thunder held out seven rotation players with what appear to be minor injuries. With Oklahoma City having already clinched the league's best record, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (shin), Jalen Williams (hip), Cason Wallace (shoulder), Alex Caruso (ankle), Luguentz Dort (knee), Chet Holmgren (back) and Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles) could all remain out for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Pelicans, or at least have their minutes kept in check in advance of the playoffs. Mitchell could thus be in line for a similar or larger workload Sunday, though the rookie second-round pick won't be guaranteed a regular spot in the rotation during the postseason when the Thunder are at full strength.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Lifted from injury report
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Mitchell (toe) will be available for Friday's game against the Jazz.
Mitchell is in line for his first action since Jan. 3 after recovering from surgery on his right big toe. The Thunder could keep a close eye on his playing time, considering his long absence. However, the backcourt will be thin Friday after the team announced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (shin), Alex Caruso (ankle), Cason Wallace (shoulder) and Luguentz Dort (knee) will all sit out.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Won't play against Phoenix
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Mitchell (toe) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Suns.
Mitchell will miss a 46th consecutive game for the Thunder as he recovers from toe surgery. The next opportunity for him to return to the lineup will be Friday against the Jazz.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Ruled out for Tuesday
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Mitchell (toe) won't play Tuesday against the Lakers.
Mitchell hasn't take the court since Jan. 3 while on the mend from toe surgery. His next chance to suit up will arrive Wednesday in Phoenix.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Won't play vs. LAL
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Mitchell (toe) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Lakers.
Mitchell will miss a 44th consecutive game for the Thunder while recovering from toe surgery. The next chance for him to return to the floor for Oklahoma City will be Tuesday against the Lakers.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Remaining out for Friday
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Mitchell (toe) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Rockets.
Mitchell hasn't played since Jan. 3 after undergoing a procedure to address the turf toe sprain in his right big toe. There's no clear timetable for the rookie second-round pick's return, though his next chance to feature will come Sunday against the Lakers.
Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Upgraded to two-year deal
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The Thunder converted Mitchell (toe) from a two-way contract to a standard two-year contract Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Mitchell has been sidelined since early January after suffering a turf toe sprain of his right big toe and undergoing surgery. Though he's not expected to return until late in the regular season if not the playoffs, Mitchell displayed enough promise while he was healthy and playing on a two-way deal for the Thunder to upgrade him to a spot on the 15-man roster. The transaction will make Mitchell eligible to play in the playoffs once healthy, but he's unlikely to be in store for major minutes while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is healthy. The 22-year-old rookie had averaged 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 16.5 minutes per game over 34 games prior to going down with the injury.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Facing long-term absence
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The Thunder announced Friday that Mitchell underwent a successful procedure to address a turf toe sprain in his right big toe. Mitchell will be re-evaluated in 10-to-12 weeks.
The injury comes at a tough time for Mitchell, who was expected to be upgraded from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal after the Thunder waived center Branden Carlson earlier this week. However, in the wake of Mitchell's injury, the Thunder have since re-signed Carlson to a 10-day deal to fill the open spot on the 15-man roster. A rookie second-round draft pick, Mitchell has been a mainstay in the Thunder rotation this season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 16.4 minutes while shooting 50.6 percent from the field over 34 appearances (one start). Given the timeline provided by the team, Mitchell will likely be sidelined until late March or early April, and it wouldn't be surprising if he remained out through the end of the regular season.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Out again Friday
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Mitchell (toe) will not play in Friday's game against the Knicks, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.
Mitchell is slated to miss his third consecutive game due to injury, and prior to his first absence Jan. 5, he had not missed time at all this season. Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins will likely see more playing time again as a result.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Sidelined against Cavaliers
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Mitchell (toe) is out for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers.
Mitchell will be sidelined for a second straight game after suffering a toe injury in Friday's win over the Knicks. His next opportunity to return comes Friday in New York. In Mitchell's absence, the Thunder could give Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins some more playing time, but Oklahoma City's rotation may not be affected very much.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Ruled out for Sunday
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Mitchell (toe) will not play Sunday against Boston.
Mitchell exited at the 1:30 mark in the third quarter of Friday's game and did not return, and he was later diagnosed with a toe sprain. It's not a good sign that he's being ruled out a day in advance, so he should be considered questionable at best for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Working through toe injury
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Head coach Mark Daigneault said after Friday's 117-107 win over the Knicks that Mitchell sprained his toe during the second half of the contest, Nick Gallo of the Thunder's official site reports.
Mitchell exited at the 1:30 mark in the third quarter of Friday's game and did not return, finishing with eight points (3-6 FG, 2-2 FT) and one rebound across 13 minutes. The rookie second-round pick will have his toe injury evaluated Saturday before the Thunder determine his status for Sunday's game against the Celtics.
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Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Notches 17 points
Rotowire
Mitchell ended Sunday's 130-106 win over the Grizzlies with 17 points (6-11 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), one rebound, three assists and one steal in 22 minutes.
Despite moving back to the bench with Cason Wallace (quadriceps) and Luguentz Dort (ankle) back in the lineup, Mitchell responded with a season-high 17 points, though he was aided by some garbage time in the lopsided win. Mitchell is hard to trust outside of very deep formats when the Thunder are at full strength.
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