Ajay Mitchell’s breakout performance in Week 1 put him firmly in the running for Most Improved Player

In the middle overreactions in Week 1 of the 2025-26 NBA season, Oklahoma City Thunder Running back Ajay Mitchell received serious consideration for this year’s MVP award by Yahoo Sports’ Chris Mannix, who called the race earlier. Mitchell continues to thrive for the Thunder in a secondary scorer/playmaker role amid All-Star Jaylen Williams and Isaiah Joe’s regular season absence.

Mitchell, who was on a two-way deal last season, earned the trust of coach Mark Dayno through training camp, the preseason and two double-overtime wins for the defending minor league champions, and he thrived. Mitchell scored a game-high 26 points in a 141-135 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

For Mannick, Mitchell’s path along with his production, which is sustainable as the Thunder’s leading bench scorer this season, should make the second-round pick the favorite to win award for the best playerhe said, according to Rachel Nichols and Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

“He’s my first one to finish for the award — he’s the most advanced (player),” Mannick said. “He’s improved the most. He’s a second-round pick. I’m not a lottery pick who gets a lot better — I hate that. These guys should get better. That’s a second-round pick who played 36 games a year ago on a two-way deal. That looks like a fresh-faced All-Star guy right now.

“Not that he’s going to get there. But if he’s averaging 15 and 5 in Oklahoma City, which means he could average like 20 and 10 in Washington or Utah, come on, that’s a rush,” Mannix concluded.

Mitchell is averaging 18.3 points on 47.5% shooting, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.3 minutes per game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander releases Ajay Mitchell Thunder discovery

For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s second-year guard Ajay Mitchell’s intensity as a competitor stood out the most from the training camp. Gilgeous-Alexander says he recognized Mitchell’s hunger before the regular season began, which is why Ajayi’s breakout week isn’t much of a surprise for the reigning league MVP.

“He’s such a competitor that you can tell by his intensity in practice — how he walks around the building,” Gilgeus-Alexander said. “He competes and he wants to go out and play. We’ve seen that since the beginning of the season. He’s stepped into a big role. He’s been like a second ball handler for us. He’s been huge in some really big games against really good teams, and it’s no surprise that he’s come up in those moments.”

The Thunder will host the 6-0 Wizards on Thursday.