Facing the Pacers, he played the strongest game of his career! Has the Thunder s new backcourt star completed his transformation this summer?

In the previous NBA regular season, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder once again defeated the Indiana Pacers at home 141-135 after a hard-fought double overtime. After this game, the Thunder won two consecutive games since the start of the new season, with a current record of 2 wins and 0 losses, while the Pacers suffered their first loss since the start of the new season, with a current record of 0 wins and 1 loss.

In this game, the Thunder's substitute backcourt star Ajay Mitchell performed quite well. Mitchell played 38 minutes and 7 seconds, shooting 9 of 19, 0 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 8 of 8 free throws. He scored the team's second-highest score of 26 points, plus 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. There was also 1 turnover and 2 fouls. The plus-minus value reached a game-high +12. It is worth mentioning that 26 points is also the highest scoring record in Mitchell's career so far. Although Mitchell has a mediocre outside shooting touch on the offensive end, he has shown comprehensive scoring ability. His breakthrough ability and finishing ability are very outstanding. He has shown super offensive and scoring ability with the ball. He also has certain passing ability and organizational ability. Mitchell's performance on the defensive end is also good, and he can also have a certain effect on the defensive end. Overall, Mitchell performed very well on both offense and defense, and his outstanding performance also made a huge contribution to the team's victory.

Mitchell was born in June 2002. He is 23 years old, 193cm tall and 93kg in weight. He is the backcourt player selected by the Thunder with the 38th overall pick in the second round of the NBA draft last year. In the NBA regular season last season, Mitchell played a total of 36 times in 82 games, averaging 16.6 minutes per game. He averaged 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. He also had 0.8 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. He shot 49.5% from the field, 38.3% from the three-point range, and 82.9% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Mitchell played a total of 12 times, averaging 7 minutes per game. He averaged 3.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.2 steals per game. He also had 0.5 turnovers and 0.6 fouls. He shot 45.7% from the field, 38.5% from the three-point range, and 80% from the free throw line. In the previous game when the Thunder narrowly defeated the Houston Rockets in double overtime, Mitchell made 6 of 12 shots, 3 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 1 free throws in 14 minutes and 35 seconds of playing time. He scored 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. He also had 2 fouls and a plus-minus of +2.

Overall, Mitchell's performance last season was quite satisfactory and could produce a certain effect, but it was not particularly outstanding. But it seems that he has indeed made great progress this summer. He had a very good performance in the preseason game against the Pacers. After the start of the regular season, he performed continuously and showed his strong scoring ability. Mitchell seems to have quickly secured his place in the team's rotation. He has every chance to become the leader and key player in the team's second team. I don’t know if Mitchell can maintain this state in the future.