In the final seconds of the first half, Ajay Mitchell drove right into Sacramento’s defense. It didn’t take much effort to get by Zach LaVine. He then went up-and-under to score past Dennis Schroder and DeMar DeRozan. The banked layup helped enter halftime with positive vibes.

Mitchell finished with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, six assists and one rebound. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and went 5-of-5 on free throws. He also had two steals and a block.

Advertisement

The Oklahoma City Thunder did just enough to get a 113-99 win over the Sacramento Kings. They’re now off to a historic 15-1 start to the regular season.

After Mitchell-Mania took over the NBA world, the opposing teams have updated their game plans against him. He took the league by storm to start the year. Most didn’t know who he was. Now, it’s about adjusting to their adjustments. He did some of that as he was relied upon to close it out against the Kings.

“The game plan one is a big one. I think it’s really good for me. Gives me opportunities to figure out some different ways to impact the game. Really happy it’s changing,” Mitchell said. “It gives me an opportunity to learn and keep growing as a player.”

The Thunder wouldn’t be here without Mitchell’s emergence. He’s provided a steady ball-handler who can run the offense when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is resting. That type of surprise development is how they can still beat teams left and right despite missing Jalen Williams and others.

Advertisement

Now a mainstream name, Mitchell recently had an ESPN segment about him. In it, a photo of himself as a child wearing an old-school Kevin Durant Thunder jersey was shown. We’ve reached the generation of NBA players who grew up with OKC in the league. Now you’re seeing some childhood photos with them as a cool side story.

“That picture was crazy, by the way. For me, when I got drafted and saw that picture, that’s a sign,” Mitchell said. “Russ is obviously a great player. The way he competes every single night and the way he did in OKC, for me, was obviously a model. He’s a great player. Always fun to play against guys like that.”

It was a dream come true for Mitchell to join the Thunder. They had a movie-esque plot on Day 2 of the 2024 NBA draft to get within the range to add him. With a series of transactions that started with Lindy Waters III being traded and ended with the No. 38 pick, he’s been able to learn from some of the best on both sides of the ball in OKC.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Breakout Thunder player says he modeled game after Russell Westbrook