Ajay Mitchell Minutes could stay for Thunder

As the NBA season begins, patience is the name of the game, there are too many cautionary tales to count, of fast starts that falter in short order, but not before observers are fooled.

However, four games into the Oklahoma City Thunder season, there has been one surprising constant: Ajay Mitchell's rotation minutes.

This didn't exactly raise eyebrows for a rookie in the middle of a bust, Thunder bench boss Mark Daigneault called up Mitchell with games still pending in all four of Oklahoma City's first appearances.

On Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, Ajay Mitchell had his best game of his career as he played 21 minutes, scoring four points, grabbing four rebounds and grabbing two steals while posting a plus-seven mark in his minutes played.

Thunder bench boss Mark Daigneault explained that the decision to use Mitchell in these games was made back in training camp when Mitchell stood out in five-on-five games.

“We play a lot of 5-on-5 in training camp, so there's a lot under the surface that you might not see, but we do. We take these minutes really seriously…he showed his ability early on.” As good as he was offensively tonight, he was equally good on defense. He continues to progress and get better defensively.

While the Thunder are currently struggling with Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams missing from their rotation, it's hard to imagine Mitchell being pushed aside entirely. Sure, the protocols have to come from somewhere, but will it be the rookie guard?

A year ago, Oklahoma City lacked a secondary setter, and the UC Santa Barbra product is making up for it. His ability to read the game, facilitate and initiate offense is outstanding at the start of the season and in this competition his finishing shines. If he continues to make progress in the industry, where he had a 62 percent success rate a year ago, he will carve out a role for himself in the long term.

Mitchell isn't the first mid-major guard to make the jump to the NBA after several years in college and be ready for the professional level. Jalen Williams shared his experience with a similar jump.

“When you do so many years in college, it just adds a lot to your game. I think you have to know basketball because college is so different than the NBA. You can tell by that, especially when you go there. “At a smaller school, you play so many different types of basketball and the talent level may not always be the same. It forces you to really understand basketball, and I think (Ajay Mitchell) does that. So when you get to the NBA, you're just more prepared. “And you've seen a lot of situations,” Williams explained.

One thing is for sure: Mitchell will be an important player for the Oklahoma City Thunder throughout the regular season and beyond no matter what the minutes are, but there are few ways to completely cut him out of the minutes pie.

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