The Milwaukee Bucks will possible face a dire point guard predicament when next season starts. The front office is planning to address that problem in the offseason and drafting USC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell may be the solution.
Born in Belgium, Mitchell first honed his craft playing for a youth team there, and subsequently as a senior for the local professional league. From there, the point guard was recruited to play for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in 2021 as their starting point guard.
Mitchell immediately made his presence felt when he played and started in all 15 games for the Gauchos during that 2021-22 NCAA tournament. During that stretch, the point guard posted 15.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 34.6 minutes per game. He also connected 53 percent from the field, 38 percent from beyond the arc, and 74 percent from the free throw line.
By his third and final year in college, Mitchell improved his numbers all across the board. In the span of 20 NCAA Tournament games, the Gauchos star tallied 19.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. Once his time playing for UC Santa Barbara was done, the 6’4″ guard declared for the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.
Milwaukee Bucks Plant To Address Point Guard Situation By Drafting UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell
Like Alabama’s Mark Sears and USC’s Isaiah Collier, Mitchell is projected to fill the Bucks’ need at point guard. In an article written by William Moxon for Behind the Buck Pass:
“Kevin O’Connor says, “playmaking may actually be his best skill,” and if he were to come off the bench, he could form a nice two-man game with Bobby Portis but also find shooters like A.J. Green to give the Bucks the bench production they need. Defensively, he is sound and shows great on-ball effort, with him averaging 1.2 steals per game in college,” Moxon wrote.
“What the Bucks do in the draft will be interesting, as there are a couple of areas they will look to address. Lillard is, of course, set in the backcourt, but with Beverley and Beasley both free agents, they will likely look to add a backup point guard to the roster,” he added.
As it stands, Damian Lillard will be the only point guard left in the rotation for next season. Veteran guard Patrick Beverley‘s contract has expired while Ryan Rollins TyTy Washington were only signed to two-way deals for this season. Needless to say, the Bucks’ front office have a lot of work to do to fill those gaps.
It’s not yet known whether Milwaukee signs a veteran, trade for one, or get a reserve point guard from the draft. If it’s the latter. though, Mitchell will surely be considered given his body of work with the Gauchos.
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