Rejecting the screen, Ajay Mitchell scored another bucket the old-fashioned way. He went right at Collin Gillespie and shouldered his way to a driving layup. After a pedestrian start, his powers are back. The 24-year-old understands the gravity of the situation and his sudden importance to OKC's success.
The Oklahoma City Thunder started their new NBA life with a 125-114 win over the Phoenix Suns. They're starting their collective lives without Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the foreseeable future.
Mitchell finished with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, five assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 9-of-10 on free throws. He also had one block.
Let's run back's last year's greatest hits. One of those? Mitchell is taking up
in Williams' absence. At this point, the Thunder are clinging to the hope that can repeat itself. This was a great start to that theory. If they hope to remain relevant among the top dog teams, he has to step up as Gilgeous-Alexander's new Robin on a night-to-night basis. No more inconsistent outings can be afforded.
Before the Thunder played the Suns, Sam Presti delivered the grim news — Williams and Wallace will both require surgery for their respective injuries. That's going to knock them out for most — if not all — of the 2026-27 season. Williams had a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle; Wallace had a torn labrum.
"I'm just glad we got the win. Prayers up to J-Dub, Caso, Otega," Mitchell said. "It's hard to see guys go down. Especially when you know how much they've worked. But we got their back. They're tough. I believe God has a plan for us. That's all that matters."
There's certainly an argument to be made that Mitchell can achieve that lofty goal. Driving to the rim is the best way to sustainability. Albeit, a physically-taxing one. If he can constantly put his head down and slice through interior defenses, then that's an effective way to get buckets. Not just from fancy finishes, but getting to the free-throw line at will.
Mitchell lapped his regular-season career high in points. He closed this out alongside Gilgeous-Alexander. Let's see what happens the rest of the way. How he handles a large uptick in workload is going to be one of the major newly-born storylines to follow throughout the months. As cheesy as it sounds, it could be a blessing in disguise. Or not.
"I always looked at it as I want to do whatever the team needs me to do to win. When we're all healthy, it might be aggressive and do your thing. That's really all I'm focused about. It's about our team," Mitchell said. "How can I help this team win? Obviously, with those guys out, I knew I probably had to come out and be even more aggressive. But I got to stay myself no matter what, no matter who's in, who's out and figure out a way to help the team win. So that's my mindset going into every game."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Ajay Mitchell passes 1st test as OKC's new Robin in win over Suns
