Ajay Mitchell reflected on a season defined by adversity and growth during his end-of-season media availability on Sunday, May 31. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard highlighted resilience as a defining trait of the group throughout a campaign that included injuries and shifting rotations.
“Yeah, I mean really proud of the team especially just throughout this year. I think there was a lot of injuries, a lot of things going on and I think we handled it well. Like we talked about before, we’re never going to look for excuses. And I think we were very resilient throughout the year,” Mitchell said.
The guard emphasized that the physical and mental demands of the season shaped the team’s playoff run. “It was tough I think obviously physically but also mentally. But it’s part of the game. So I think at the end of the day we just look at it as we went through injuries but we gave it our best shot. And so there’s no regrets on that end.”
Mitchell also described the evolution of his own game, pointing to confidence and strength as key areas of improvement across the season. “Kind of a mix of everything. I think confidence. Obviously just going out there and being very confident in my game. And then I think getting stronger, I think that helped.”
His role with the Thunder increased throughout the postseason, where he averaged 15.1 points across 11 playoff games while shooting 46.0 percent from the field. His efficiency from three-point range stood at 32.5 percent during the same span, according to the team’s playoff statistics.
Mitchell also addressed a calf strain that affected his late-season availability and preparation for the offseason. “I mean it’s my first like calf strain. So just going through it obviously. Feeling better and better every day. But still got a lot of work to do to just be 100% healthy.”
The recovery process will remain the priority heading into the summer. “Just a lot of work. Just getting back to being 100% obviously being out here doing rehab and getting stronger, getting my calf ready. And that’s really it. I don’t really have any other things to do right now but just get healthy.”
When discussing his development trajectory, Mitchell described how experience reshaped his perspective on mistakes and setbacks. “The longer you live the days start to feel shorter because you’ve lived so many. It’s the same thing with mistakes. If you’ve only ever made one mistake, that mistake probably feels so heavy and so easy to dwell on, but as you make more mistakes, you learn that there are opportunities to learn from and improve from and find different ways to get better.”
He also credited continuity and internal support for his progress across two seasons in the league. Mitchell pointed to his support system and daily habits as factors that helped stabilize his approach through challenges.
