The Oklahoma City Thunder’s NBA Cup matchup tonight against the Phoenix Suns took an unfortunate turn as Ajay Mitchell headed to the locker room in the final few seconds of the first quarter. There wasn’t an obvious moment of contact, but it immediately raised concern for the sophomore-year guard, who rarely shows visible discomfort.

Soon, the Thunder provided some clarity on his condition. On X, Underdog announced that the Thunder had reached a conclusion: “Ajay Mitchell (knee) won’t return Friday.” It confirmed that the team’s bench standout is currently dealing with a left knee contusion.

He finished the game with one assist across five minutes of play, logging a -2 plus/minus. He missed all of three of his shots, causing him to break an 11-game streak of double digit scoring. The next chance for Mitchell to play is in Portland, where OKC will face off against their division rivals on Sunday.

Mitchell has been a key part of the Thunder‘s success this season. After undergoing a turf toe surgery last offseason, the lefty guard has taken a huge leap.

After averaging just 6.5 points last year, he has increased his scoring average to 15.9 points off the bench, becoming the team’s third leading scorer and primary offensive initiator in minutes without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, something the Thunder lacked during their championship run despite their success.

Mitchell has also emerged as one of the frontrunners for the Sixth Man of the Year award, especially with OKC’s regular-season dominance so far.

Mitchell has scored in double figures in 17 of his 20 games played. He’s notched at least 17 points in each of his four starts this season. To add to his growth, against the Portland Trail Blazers, he notched 20 points on a perfect 8-8 field goal shooting (2-2 from three) on November 23, becoming the youngest player in Thunder history to score 20+ points at 100% FG efficiency (also adding 5 assists and 2 steals).

Earlier in the season, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke about Mitchell’s level up, saying, “I think the biggest difference is just a combination of strength… and then I think the game slowed down a little bit for him.” Clearly, the 38th pick from the 2024 Draft seems to have found a new level of poise in his game.

Despite Ajay Mitchell’s Exit, Jalen Williams’ Return Shifts the Energy for OKC

Jalen Williams made his much-awaited debut for the season tonight, providing Oklahoma City with a much-needed spark, especially after Ajay Mitchell went out with his contusion.

Despite having some trouble knocking down early shots following the offseason surgery on his wrist to repair ligament damage and remove a screw, the guard still looked poised and confident, if a bit rusty against the Phoenix Suns.

Williams stepped up as the secondary offensive creator next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tonight, logging eight assists, while also playing solid defense, guarding multiple positions and even providing weak-side rim protection.

He logged two steals and a block, helping Chet Holmgren stabilize the team’s defense in the absence of center Isaiah Hartenstein and key reserve Aaron Wiggins.

With tonight’s win, OKC secured their position in the NBA Cup’s Knockout stage, beating the Phoenix Suns by just four points to secure a lossless Group stage. Devin Booker and Collin Gillespie tried their best, combining for 45 points and 10 assists, but the OKC defense proved too much to overcome, and Shai’s 15-point fourth quarter completely shut the door.

As Williams ramps up, he should be able to shoulder Mitchell’s offensive load in case the latter misses an extended period of games.