The second-round pick of the second grade has become the second leader of the defending champion! The fourth youngest player in the Thunder, team reporter: looks very much like Harden

On November 14th, because there are fewer games in the league today, we can talk about the performance of some players in the league during this period. Many young players have performed brilliantly this season, such as Shepard, the third overall pick of the Rockets. Last year, he was criticized as the parallel import number one pick for a season. As a result, Curry is now a Rocket. He shot 50% from three-point range and averaged 17+ per game in the past three games. This is still as a substitute. If he starts, he is estimated to average 20+ per game.

Although the 25th class is a young year in the draft, it is not as unbearable as imagined. This season, many people have realized their talents, such as second place Sal, who has become a minor player. This season, he averaged 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. He is third in the league in blocks per game and has good shooting ability. Castle, the No. 4 pick, has played at an All-Star level. He has recently become a ball-handling core and led the Spurs forward. This season, he averaged 19 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

As for the player that surprised me the most in the 25th class, I think it was Ajay Mitchell. He was the No. 8 pick in the second round of 2025. On the night of the 2025 draft, the Thunder traded the Knicks' No. 8 pick in the second round and selected him. I have to say that Presti's draft vision is indeed very good. In his rookie season, although Mitchell was only the team's third team rotation, he also performed very well, averaging 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 16 minutes per game.

Due to Jew's injury this season, he got more playing time, and the second-year rookie also used his stability and skills to help the Thunder win many games. The Thunder started the season with 12 wins and 1 loss, tying the Bulls' record of 72 wins in the same period. This was without the second leader. If all players played, maybe they would have won 13 consecutive games now, thus tying the Warriors' record of 73 wins in the same period.

Mitchell was initially a substitute. He was responsible for serving as the sixth man and driving the bench's offense. However, as the game progressed, Daignault put Mitchell in the starting lineup in order to reduce the ball-holding pressure on Alexander. You must know that the Thunder also has Isiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Caruso, players who helped the team win the championship last season. They are also very capable, but they chose a second-year second-round pick. It was also very surprising at the time.

Everyone thought that Mitchell was a flash in the pan at the beginning of the season and that he would slump after entering the starting lineup, but he still performed very well. The advantage of the Thunder team is that every player knows what he is doing. They will never overstep their own role. Chet used to be the team's third-in-command. After Jaywee was injured, he should have become the second-in-command. However, Chet still specializes in cutting without the ball and does all the dirty work on defense. He never thought about being the second-in-command with the ball.

This also made Mitchell very comfortable after entering the starting lineup. In the five games he started, he averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Although this performance is not a top second-in-command, it is definitely a qualified second-in-command. His presence puts less pressure on Alexander. After all, someone is sharing the ball. Although many fans question Mitchell's stickiness to the ball, this is also a sign of his maturity. He will not play rough, he just wants to play with success rate and control the rhythm.

As a second-round pick, Mitchell’s ability to reach such heights is really unexpected. I think golf intelligence is the key to his success. He has a certain offensive ability with the ball, and he can cut without the ball. His ability is also very good in terms of defensive prediction. He may not be as strong as Jaywe, but he has replaced Jaywe very well in terms of offense, passing and defense. He can be regarded as an 80% Jaywe. Relying on his recent outstanding performance, he has also received a lot of praise.

In the previous update, the Thunder team reporter said: Ajay Mitchell feels like Harden when he was young. As for the ball-handling styles of the two, I feel that they are indeed quite similar, and the fate of the two may eventually be similar. The reason why I say this is because everyone knows the Thunder's situation now. They have three super-maximum players. After the rookie contracts of Jaywe and Chet expire, the Thunder will face a lot of salary pressure.

The first person they must consider renewing in the future is Carson Wallace. After all, he is a key part of the team's defense. With Jaywee and Alexander, the Thunder have little need for ball handlers. Therefore, there is a high probability that Ajay Mitchell will be abandoned by the team because he cannot give a contract like Gidi. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing for Mitchell.

In my opinion, Mitchell is more like Brunson. He does not have such outstanding athletic ability, but he can drive the team with his skills, golf intelligence and rhythm. The future is worth looking forward to. Having said that, what do you want to say about the current Thunder and Mitchell? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.