Ajay Mitchell didn’t exactly dial down the excitement at OKC Thunder media day. If anything, he turned it up.
The 24-year-old talked about how far he has come since entering the league, but he made one thing clear: he’s still nowhere near finished. Mitchell said he is still “far from what I want to be” as an individual player and added that “there's no ceiling” when it comes to his growth on the floor.
That kind of mindset only adds fuel to the buzz already building around him heading into 2026-27. After a breakout sophomore season, Mitchell put up 13.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. He also finished fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
The bigger takeaway for Oklahoma City is obvious: this is a player the Thunder need to keep leaning on. With Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins now off the team, there’s even more room for Mitchell to take on a larger role in the rotation.
And the Thunder have already seen what happens when they give him the keys.
Last season, when he was inserted into the starting lineup, Mitchell delivered 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range. In the playoffs, his numbers jumped again. Over seven starts, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.
Oklahoma City also won big with him in that role, going 22-1 across all 23 of his starts.
So even before his latest comments about his own ceiling, Mitchell was already being viewed as a breakout candidate. Now he’s backed that up with the kind of confidence that matches the production. For the Thunder, the message is pretty simple: they’ve got a 2024 second-rounder who keeps proving he can handle more, and everything he said at media day only strengthens that belief.
In Other News...
Isaiah Hartenstein Just Added Fuel To A Thunder Knicks Finals Dream
Isaiah Hartenstein has only been with Oklahoma City since leaving New York, but he still has a close enough connection to the Knicks to make any conversation about their rise feel personal. The veteran center spent two seasons in Manhattan from 2022 to 2024, and he recently reflected on the Knicks championship run, a stretch that confirmed they are no longer just a feel-good East Coast story but a genuine title force.
For Thunder fans, the bigger picture is hard to miss. Oklahoma City and New York are already being viewed as popular contenders for the 2026-27 season, and the idea of those two teams meeting on the NBAs biggest stage is beginning to sound less like wishful thinking and more like a storyline with real legs. Hartensteins perspective only adds to the intrigue, even if the full connection between his past and Oklahoma Citys future is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Caruso Lands In OKCs Biggest Rotation Debate
Alex Carusos first media day with Oklahoma City came with the kind of answer that usually tells you more about the season ahead than any projected lineup ever could. Speaking ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, the veteran guard acknowledged that his role is still unsettled, and that the Thunders situation is likely to keep shifting as the year unfolds. Head coach Mark Daigneault will sort through those moving parts, but Caruso made clear he is comfortable with the uncertainty and ready to fit wherever he is needed.
The broader picture helps explain why this has become such a central rotation question. Oklahoma City is heading into the season without Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, a set of departures that could open up different looks on the perimeter and alter how the Thunder deploys its guards and wings. For a team that has leaned on versatility and adaptability, Carusos willingness to embrace whatever comes next may be as important as the exact job description itself. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Are Now Waiting For Russell Westbrooks Next OKC Moment
Russell Westbrooks retirement closes the book on an 18-year career that made him one of the most recognizable players of his era, and for Thunder fans it naturally brings the focus back to Oklahoma City, where his rise to former MVP and nine-time All-Star status remains a defining part of the franchises history. The organization has already signaled that a tribute is coming, with executive Sam Presti saying the team is working on one, which fits the scale of Westbrooks place in the Thunder story.
What still has everyone waiting is the shape of the moment itself. There is no firm tribute plan yet, but the expectation around Westbrook is only growing as the calendar turns toward the next chance for the franchise to formally recognize him, giving fans one more reason to keep an eye on how Oklahoma City chooses to celebrate a player who helped define an era. [Read more 🡒]