After beating the Golden State Warriors 124-112 to extend the Oklahoma City Thunder's 13-game win streak, starting forward Chet Holmgren reveals he's seen potential in Ajay Mitchell since before they became teammates. As the defending champion improved to a league-leading 21-1 record, Mitchell helped the Thunder in a close game, starting in place of Lu Dort.
He finished with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal, as Mitchell's defense helped keep the Warriors at a distance after Golden State erased a 22-point deficit. After the win, Chet Holmgren discussed how he first saw Mitchell before the 2024 NBA draft, where Ajay was selected 38th overall in the second round by the Thunder.
“I've been an Ajay fan since before the season last year. And just playing late summer pick-up. And being in the gym and around him, I can tell he's a hooper — he's a worker,” Holmgren said. “I'd seen a little bit of him when he was in college, just cause I was doing my pre-draft. A lot of the time, I was working out at the same college he went to. But I was never in the gym first-hand with him until he got here. Unbelievably talented, great kid, as is everybody that's in the locker room.
“Great man. I didn't mean to call him a kid. I'm happy to be able to hoop with him. The crazy part is: he's only going to continue to get better, too. We have a lot of guys who still have room for improvement — myself included. And I think that's a great thing,” Holmgren concluded.
Holmgren added 21 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 38 points and four assists.
Ajay Mitchell on Thunder's close game amid near-perfect start
While Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell loves beating teams by 30 points, he knows that tightly contested games will make his squad even stronger. Mitchell addressed the contrast between the lopsided and nail-biting endings after the Thunder's 123-115 win against the Blazers.
“Personally, I'd love to win every game by like 30, if we could, but there's a lot to learn in close games,” Mitchell said. “And there's a way to kind of fight through what's going on, especially when things aren't going our way. It's a great opportunity to get better as a team and find a way. So, I think those games are very important for us.”
Mitchell is averaging 15.0 points, 3.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game this season.
