Ajay Mitchell
| No. 25 – Oklahoma City Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard/shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 25 June 2002 Ans, Belgium |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | UC Santa Barbara(2021–2024) |
| NBA draft | 2024:2nd round, 38th overall pick |
| Selected by theNew York Knicks | |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2021 | Limburg United |
| 2024–present | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2024–present | →Oklahoma City Blue |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Statsat NBA.com | |
Ajay Mitchell(born 25 June 2002) is aBelgian-Americanbasketballplayer for theOklahoma City Thunderof theNational Basketball Association(NBA), on atwo-way contractwith theOklahoma City Blueof theNBA G League.He playedcollege basketballfor theUC Santa Barbara Gauchos.He was selected in the2024 NBA Draft
Early life and career
[edit]Mitchell grew up inAns, Belgium.[1]He began playing forLimburg United's youth team in 2019 and made two appearances with the senior team in thePro Basketball Leagueduring the 2019–20 season.[2]Mitchell played solely with the senior team during the 2020–21 season while maintaining his amateur status. After the season, he committed to playing college basketball forUC Santa Barbara.[3]
College career
[edit]Mitchell played in 27 games during his freshman season and was named theBig West ConferenceFreshman of the Year and second team All-Big West after averaging 11.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game.[4]He averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game and was named theBig West Player of the Yearduring his sophomore season.[5]
Professional career
[edit]Oklahoma City Thunder (2024–present)
[edit]On June 27, 2024, Mitchell was selected with the 38th overall pick by theNew York Knicksin the2024 NBA Draft,however, immediately on draft night, he was traded to theOklahoma City Thunderin exchange for the 40th overall pick in the 2024 draft and cash.[6]On July 6, 2024, Mitchell signed a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.[7]
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goalpercentage | 3P% | 3-point field goalpercentage | FT% | Free throwpercentage |
| RPG | Reboundsper game | APG | Assistsper game | SPG | Stealsper game |
| BPG | Blocksper game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | UC Santa Barbara | 27 | 23 | 32.1 | .531 | .327 | .750 | 2.2 | 3.7 | .8 | .2 | 11.6 |
| 2022–23 | UC Santa Barbara | 35 | 35 | 33.8 | .506 | .267 | .813 | 2.7 | 5.1 | 1.3 | .3 | 16.3 |
| 2023–24 | UC Santa Barbara | 29 | 29 | 31.5 | .504 | .393 | .858 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .4 | 20.0 |
| Career | 91 | 87 | 32.5 | .511 | .332 | .818 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 1.1 | .3 | 16.1 | |
Personal life
[edit]Mitchell's father,Barry Mitchell,played college basketball at Norfolk State and professionally in theContinental Basketball AssociationandWorld Basketball Leaguebefore playing and settling in Belgium.[3]
References
[edit]- ^"Ajay Mitchell quitte Limburg pour Cal State Santa Barbara".La Dernière Heure(in French). 22 June 2021.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^"Des Liégeois sans ressort écrasés à Limburg".L'Avenir(in French). 31 January 2021.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^ab"Belgian basketball star commits to play for UCSB".Santa Barbara News-Press.7 September 2020.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^"Mark Patton: Ajay Mitchell Can Now Talk the Talk with UCSB Basketball".Noozhawk.4 December 2022.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^"UCSB Sophomore Ajay Mitchell Honored as Big West Basketball Player of Year".Noozhawk.6 March 2023.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^Flojo, Enzo (June 28, 2024)."Thunder 2024 NBA Draft grades for every pick".ClutchPoints.com.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
- ^"Thunder Signs Nikola Topić and Dillon Jones".NBA.com.July 6, 2024.RetrievedJuly 7,2024.