The solidity of rookie Ajay Mitchell impresses in Oklahoma City • Basket USA

What could be expected Ajay Mitchell when he arrived in Oklahoma City? The Belgian, 38th choice in the last Draft, joined a particularly ambitious team, reinforced by the arrivals of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, and above all very dense in the back/winger positions. So it could feel like the back and forth in the G-League…

Except that the native of Namur, tracked by Sam Presti for many months, very quickly integrated Mark Daigneault’s rotation. From the training camp, he impressed with his ability to make the right choices.

“There was a training session where he made six or seven positive actions in a row” explains Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about the moment he really discovered his teammate. “A layup after a pick-and-roll, a pass in the corner coming out of the pick-and-roll, a pass to the low post player, a 3-pointer. And all these sequences came together. You could see he had learned to play the right way. He plays on instinct and he almost always makes the right decision because of that. When you feel the game well, you can play everywhere. »

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t expect it

The ability of the Namur native to make the right choices allowed him to quickly establish himself in the rotations of the best team in the West, beating his points record last night (17) against the Grizzlies.

“He makes the game easier for me” continue « SGA ». “He relieves me, especially if someone puts pressure on me when lifting the ball, because he dribbles very well. And since he sees the game very well, I can cut behind the defense. It allows me to save energy, free myself and be served. He is special. Maybe we don’t talk too much about his game but he plays winning basketball and it’s difficult, especially for a rookie.”

Particularly impressed, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a lot to say about his teammate.

“He pushes the tempo and he plays so hard on both ends of the floor that he increases our intensity. And then, he makes so many good decisions with the ball in his hands, when the opposing defenders are closing in… With Jalen (Williams), we joke all the time that you can see he went to college for four years (three in fact, but he was trained beforehand among the young people of Nanterre and Limbourg) because it helps us win. It was difficult to imagine before the season. Personally, I didn’t expect it but after the first weeks of training camp and the preseason, we could see that he was simply a great basketball player. A guy who plays hard and trusts his work. » And who, at 22 years old, has therefore become essential in Oklahoma City.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.