OKLAHOMA CITY — After a 107-101 victory against the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander revealed why Ajay Mitchell, who was a third-string rookie last season, is making headway amid Jalen Williams' absence and a 5-0 start. Mitchell’s (18 points) scoring and playmaking off the bench helped his team out of a 10-point deficit in the second half amid Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder’s free-throw shooting disparity.
Mitchell scored seven of his 18 points in the final frame, where the Thunder regained its largest lead since 24-20 in the opening frame. Gilgeous-Alexander, Mitchell, and the Thunder closed the Kings out on a 17-4 Thunder run. After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander addressed the hunger he’s seen in Ajay Mitchell’s approach to the 2025-26 campaign.
“He’s such a competitor that you can see by his intensity in practice — how he walks around the building,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He competes and wants to go out there and play. We’ve seen that since the beginning of the season. Stepped into a big role. He’s been like a second ball-handler for us. He’s been huge in some really big games against really good teams, and it’s no surprise that he’s shown up in those moments.”
As Mitchell stepped into the press conference room ready to follow Gilgeous-Alexander’s media availability, the MVP told reporters the next step in Ajay’s ascension this season.
“Every night he’s rising up the scouting report,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But I think what helps him is him just having tools. They’re gonna have a game plan for them. Then, he’s going to have to figure out how to still be himself through the game plan, and usually, the more tools you have, the better off you are. And I think he has so many tools that it doesn’t really matter what you do out there. And he’s just showing the world game by game. You can plug him in anywhere, any lineup — that’s why he’s had success, thus far.”
There is still no date set for Jalen Williams' return.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s bold ‘DNA’ take on Thunder’s comeback
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sees the depth in his team, as not even a lengthy injury list headlined by All-Star Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe, and Chet Holmgren (on Tuesday), could prevent a 5-0 start. For Gilgeous-Alexander, it's a testament to the Thunder's next-man-up mentality as defending champions.
“It’s just the DNA of this team, this group. We understand how to win basketball games, and tonight was a perfect display of that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They were making shots. We were missing shots. We fouled jump shooters a million times tonight. We had a lot of mental lapses. We fought through it really well as a group and as individuals — kept the game close enough, and then, when it was winning time, we did what it took to win.”
The Thunder will host the Wizards on Thursday.
