Guard Ajay Mitchell is officially set to make his return for the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n
Mitchell was tagged in an abdominal strain all the way back on Jan. 21, and little was made of his listing on the injury report at the time. In working his way back he also picked up an ankle sprain, and has now been out for 20 games and nearly two full calendar months.<\/p>\n
As of Sunday’s injury report, Mitchell is officially off, and will make his return in a potentially pivotal game against the Nuggets.<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s return comes at the exact right time for OKC, who still hold a narrow lead over San Antonio for the No. 1-seed in the Western Conference. At this point, the Thunder most likely want to avoid playing both of the Spurs and Nuggets in a single postseason run. Denver has slid down the standings recently all the way to No. 6, meaning OKC would avoid them.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no guarantee that holds \u2014 Nikola Jokic and co. could soon get things together and run back up \u2014 but it\u2019s clear that the Thunder want to continue to hold onto the No. 1 seed and maintain home court advantage throughout regardless.<\/p>\n
Mitchell, who offers the team not just a talented guard, but one who effectively solves their half-court creation issues with his handling and ability to break down defense, will be an obviously vital piece to holding onto that in the home stretch.<\/p>\n
Ajay Mitchell ISO buckets,<\/p>\n
He\u2019s shooting 53% in isolation this season: pic.twitter.com\/do5LyShoKG<\/a><\/p>\n