Ajay Mitchell’s rise from a third-string guard as a rookie to one of the first players off the Oklahoma City bench has become one of the more intriguing storylines of the Thunder’s 2025-26 season. The guard said he is happy just to be on the floor helping the team win as Oklahoma City prepares for Game 1 against Phoenix on Sunday.
“It’s exciting,” Mitchell said, adding that he is fully healthy and ready to go before the opener at Paycom Center. He said the Thunder are not viewing this postseason as a defense of the 2025 championship, but as a fresh chance to win another one. “It’s a new year. So, we’re not looking at it as defending the championship. We’re looking at it as we want to go win the championship,” he said.
That approach fits the tone Oklahoma City has carried all season. Mitchell said the group has stayed locked in on winning, improving and dealing with what is right in front of it, which now means a first-round matchup with the Suns. The Thunder will host Phoenix in Game 1, starting the franchise’s first title defense with a home game and a deeper bench role for Mitchell than he had in his rookie season.
The shift matters because it gives Oklahoma City another dependable option as the playoffs begin, and because Mitchell’s spot now reflects how far he has come in a single year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said it is “cool” to have the chance to repeat what the Thunder did before, but he also pointed out how much has to go right before any team can reach the Finals-clinching game. For the defending champions, the series against Phoenix is the first test of whether last year’s finish can become the start of something bigger.
Mitchell’s role is no longer an afterthought. It is part of the story now, and it arrives at the moment the Thunder need every steady hand they can get.
