This season could be the biggest decider in Ajay Mitchell’s future with the Thunder. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t had the fairytale beginning to the season, as they have already dealt with major injuries. These injuries have made its backcourt fragile, as OKC is expected to be without Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for a majority of the season, if not the full season. This would be a season killer for most teams; however Oklahoma City’s roster is so deep that it is able to still compete, and one specific player has helped out a lot. 

Ajay Mitchell was expected to step into a bigger role this season even before the injuries, but now he has stepped into one of the biggest roles on the entire team. The rising star is averaging 18.9 points per game this season on an impressive 51.7% shooting from the field. The Thunder need to see Mitchell continue this trend if the team wants to do well this season, but it could also make a difference in the guard’s future with the team. 

Mitchell is currently on a three-year contract with the Thunder and has a team option coming up next year. Meaning, OKC will be able to keep Mitchell around for a reasonable cost for at least one more year, but after that, the young guard will no longer be a cheap player to keep around. 

Cap space is already a difficult conversation for the Thunder, as they are spending a lot of money to keep Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Williams and now Wallace within the organization for the foreseeable future. These big contracts have taken up the necessary room needed to guarantee Mitchell an extended seat on the team, but now there is the conversation about just how important Mitchell has made himself. 

With the Santa Barbara product being such a vital part of the team this season, what’s to say that he can’t do the same for seasons to come. It will be a difficult conversation for the organization to have, as it can only afford so much, but it’s a conversation that must be had. 

If Mitchell continues this All-Star-level season, then there will have to be a big conversation about whether he is worth keeping over other players. Of course, Mitchell will first have to focus on continuing his recent performances for the full length of the season and hopefully leading the Thunder back to the NBA Finals.