Payton Pritchard’s latest admission should be music to Celtics fans’ ears

Payton Pritchard was masterful in the second half of the Boston Celtics’ 125-117 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. After the intermission ended, the sixth-year guard generated 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, and one block. He knocked down 7/10 shots and didn’t commit a turnover.

The former Oregon star made a living in the paint. Between his speed, ability to keep his dribble alive, and the quality of the Celtics’ screens and spacing, there were consistently driving lanes available for him to exploit.

Even when Sandro Mamukelashvili hit Pritchard in the face, after briefly expressing his frustration over the lack of a foul call, he charged downhill, baited the six-foot-nine center with an up-and-under, and gently layed the ball in.

Pritchard produced 27 points, including 16 in the paint. Both were game highs. He also utilized his downhill attacks to create quality opportunities for his teammates. His eight assists were the most by anyone wearing a white jersey Friday night at TD Garden. And despite his high usage rate, he only had one turnover.

“He’s got an innate ability to — the biggest thing is he knows when to keep his dribble, he knows how to keep it, and that, to me, is the biggest thing,” said Joe Mazzulla after the Celtics’ victory. “He knows how to keep his dribble. He knows how to get himself out of tough spots. He knows how to make a play. Can create separation if he gets below the free-throw line, [and he] can score at all three levels. So, he has a great knack for knowing how to keep his dribble, which I think goes a long way in making sure you take care of the ball.”

Payton Pritchard is still learning

The 27-year-old guard has gone from the Sixth Man of the Year to a first-unit fixture. After some early struggles with his shot, Pritchard is thriving in his new role. That includes registering the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA.

After a win that helped the Celtics reclaim the second seed in the East, Jaylen Brown shared his perspective on how much of what Pritchard’s displaying as a starter is him showcasing what he could always do with this opportunity, compared to his growth within the role.

“Payton has been balling,” said Brown. “I think he had like a little bit of a slow start, maybe slower than he would have liked. But you know, ever since then, like we’ve leaned on Payton to almost be like a go-to guy at times, because he has that ability to break guys down, get into the paint, use his body well, and he’s getting better at it.

“I think he’s been in my bag, for sure — lately, my mid-range bag,” quipped the four-time All-Star. “But learning to get to guys’ bodies, and it doesn’t really matter how tall you are if you’ve got great footwork, great balance, and you know how to use your leverage. And Payton has taken advantage of a lot of situations. We need him to do that. He’s one of the guys on our team that is capable of that. So, anytime I’m on the floor with him, and I see he has a favorable matchup, or I see he’s got it going, I’m looking to kind of get him the ball a little bit to get him going.”

With Boston only 37 games into the current campaign, what’s most exciting is how much room Pritchard has to continue growing as he handles the responsibilities that come with initiating the offense.

“I mean, that’s part of starting is figuring out the balance of when to be really aggressive, looking for my shot, and when to get everybody involved or get the ball to a certain player,” conveyed Pritchard post-game.

“It’s a balance, figuring out when those guys need to get it, and I play off them, and when to be aggressive. To be honest, I don’t even know if I’ve figured it out fully yet. It’s still a learning process, and every game, just keep growing and growing … I feel like I’ve gotten better from the beginning of the year, but it’s still more steps to go.”