After missing six consecutive games due to a back injury, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort's status has been upgraded for Saturday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. The Thunder improved to 12-1 after two impressive wins against the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Paycom Center.
Oklahoma City's matchup against the Hornets kicks off a two-game road trip, which could start with Dort back in uniform, following his questionable status on the Thunder's injury report. Aaron Wiggins remains out with a left adductor strain, making Saturday's game against the Hornets his fifth consecutive missed game.
Thunder's second-year guard, Ajay Mitchell, has been starting in place of Dort and continues to impress amid his early breakout season. He's scored in double figures in 12 of 13 games, including a career-high 26 points in double overtime of a 141-135 win against the Indiana Pacers.
Mitchell is averaging 16.9 points on 46.2% shooting, 3.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game this season.
How Thunder's Ajay Mitchell earned a Jalen Brunson comparison
Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell put the league on notice this season as the 2024 second-round pick went from a third-string player to one of Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault's go-to options. Mitchell's defense earned him playing time throughout his rookie season, but it's the improvement on that end of the floor, coupled with playmaking and efficient scoring, that has unlocked 28.1 minutes per game.
The Ringer's Bill Simmons sees a younger version of Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson in Mitchell from Brunson's days with the Mavericks, he said, per The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“The way he's playing reminds me a little of when Brunson was on Dallas,” Simmons said. “Brunson had this stretch on those Dallas teams where you'd watch him and be like, is this guy really good or am I crazy? Could this guy be the lead guard on a really good team, or am I crazy? And you just watch him. He was like this finished product, and he was kind of this luxury on the side for the Mavs.
“And I just wonder, with Mitchell, I'm sure these other GMs are looking at this Thunder team, going there's no way they're going to be able to pay all these guys.”
Fortunately for the Thunder, it's a bridge the organization won't have to cross this season, and the defending champion looks better than last year despite playing without All-Star Jalen Williams.
