The Oklahoma City Thunder are relentless. They aren’t at full strength, but they are grinding out big wins. Even without all their best players, they are sure to add another win to their tally. Jalen Williams‘ return is imminent, but does that spell good or bad things for Ajay Mitchell‘s productivity this season?
Mitchell has been an integral part of the Thunder’s historic start to the 2025-26 season. From missing a huge chunk of the previous season to gunning for big performances this year, he has been a revelation for the defending champs. It cannot be denied that his rise as the top Sixth Man of the Year candidate is another promising thing to watch.
How Will Ajay Mitchell Adjust in Jalen Williams’ Return?
However, Mitchell has only been able to play big minutes because Jalen Williams has missed many games with the Thunder. While it has revealed a few hiccups, it still shows that OKC can definitely win with J-Dub still out and Mitchell making an impact. But with the Thunder star guard returning, will the 6MOTY frontrunner still play at a high level?
Ajay Mitchell Is An Unexpected Win for OKC
There’s no denying that the Thunder are banking on their youth. We have seen how investing in J-Dub and Chet Holmgren has been for them. Lu Dort was also an underrated take for the team, and so are Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace. While this year’s rookies in Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber, and even Brooks Barnhizer are yet to bear fruit, Ajay Mitchell has been a big win for OKC.
Ajay Mitchell is the youngest player in franchise history to record 20+ PTS on 100% FG. pic.twitter.com/r2JNwfjNLS
— Real Sports (@realapp) November 24, 2025
He was injured for the majority of the 2024-25 run, and was even playing limited minutes in the postseason. However, things turned out for the better as he slowly showed his big game for Oklahoma City in the current campaign. As of the time of writing, Mitchell is averaging 15.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.6 steals on 46% shooting.
In comparison, Payton Pritchard averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season en route to winning the 6MOTY. Like Mitchell, the Boston Celtics guard was a massive underdog before he ended up winning the award. If we’re following the same pattern, Mitchell should be earning the same hardware.
Jalen Williams’ Return May Disrupt Things
J-Dub has been a crucial piece for the Thunder’s championship campaign. The fact that he was actually injured for the whole playoff campaign and still pushed himself to the limit is a miracle for OKC. So when he took his time to rest and recover from his wrist surgery in the offseason, Williams is certainly taking his time.
Oklahoma City just revealed that he’s now off the injured list. J-Dub is expecting to get back onto the court sometime soon. In the previous season, Williams averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 48.4% shooting. He also ended up becoming an All-Star in that run. However, the biggest concern here is that Williams averages 32.4 minutes per game as the second option.
— therealjalenwilliams (@jdubwttp) November 27, 2025
By comparison, Mitchell is averaging 27.5 minutes in 19 games this season. He’s already managed to become the third-leading scorer in OKC, and has the second-most total points in the team so far. That says a lot about his importance in the squad, and why Jalen Williams’ return is going to seriously affect him.
Rotation Tweaks May Save Mitchell’s Groove
The Thunder aren’t new to rising talents that come their way. Remember, Josh Giddey was supposed to be a key piece in the Thunder’s future. However, when the Thunder had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and J-Dub emerging, things didn’t go as planned. Giddey was struggling to find his way as an off-ball player, and soon OKC ended up trading him for Alex Caruso.
By now, Sam Presti would have learned from his mistakes not to let go of another talent in Mitchell. Oklahoma City is a team full of talent, and roster crunches are inevitable when the time comes. Sure, they’ve already saved $48 million with J-Dub missing out on an All-NBA chance this year, but managing talent is another thing.
Luckily, Mitchell is a much better shooter than Giddey. We have seen how good Mitchell is when it comes to spot-up shots, or even playing off-the ball. So that’s a huge difference from than most people think. If all else fails, OKC has to experiment more with their fully healthy roster. They need to figure out some combinations, like who spends more minutes with SGA.
Well, there are still 62 more games to play for OKC. That means we’ll be finding out how well Mitchell can play with fewer minutes or together with J-Dub with his newfound productivity. Who knows? Maybe he is truly the fourth star the Thunder needed all along.
A lot can still happen in the months ahead for OKC. Either Mitchell will bloom, or Williams’ return is the end of the guard’s blossoming start to this season.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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