BOSTON — TD Garden was abuzz on Friday following the Boston Celtics' thrilling 107-103 win over the reigning champion New York Knicks. That momentum carried over postgame, as the Green Team celebrated its first win of the season and reporters piled inside the locker room to talk to the stars of the evening. Amid this commotion, Celtics rookie Dillon Mitchell was away from the spotlight, absorbing all he could from 10-time All-Star Ray Allen.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has offered an open invitation for franchise greats to come back to Boston, so it's not unheard of to see a former Celtic of Allen's caliber around the team. Mitchell took advantage of this opportunity, using the fact that he wears the same jersey number (20) as Allen once
did to meet the Hall of Famer.
"Honestly, I wear No. 20, so it's kind of our little connection right there with me wearing that number," Mitchell told Celtics Wire of how their conversation came to be.
Although they share a number (which Mitchell said is partially because the C's have so many other numbers in the rafters of TD Garden), the two Celtics are quite different. Allen was the fifth overall pick in 1996 and is considered one of the best 3-point shooters of all time. Mitchell was selected in the second round during this year's draft and isn't considered a threat from deep at all.
Of course, Mitchell is working on that, and while he didn't pick Allen's brain about shooting, he did gain insight from a basketball legend who spent nearly two decades in the NBA.
"(He) just gave me advice as far as a young guy coming into this organization and what to expect and how to handle the day-to-day work balance," Mitchell revealed. "Just making sure I put my head down and giving me all the advice as far as the work ethic it takes to not only survive in this organization, but in the league."
Since Mitchell is on a two-way contract, he might play in Portland with the Maine Celtics more than he plays with the parent club. That means the 23-year-old small forward's journey in the Association won't be an easy one; it'll require relentless commitment and an appreciation for the grind of the G League.
"Put your head down and work," Mitchell told Celtics Wire when asked for the takeaway from his chat with Allen. "Continue to work and work and work."
Whether Mitchell's first shot in the NBA arrives remains to be seen, however, his eagerness to learn from others is a positive sign. And as a Celtic, he'll have a chance to learn from plenty of talented veterans, including ones he grew up watching at home in Florida.
"That Paul Pierce, (Kevin Garnett), Ray Allen era, watching what they accomplished here and how much they got the fans into it, was something I've always seen," Mitchell recalled. "And then even for Ray Allen, specifically when he was with the (Miami) Heat, I was always a fan, being from Tampa, Florida...I was a fan of him always. So, it was really cool to be able to just catch up with him, and that was cool to just learn a lot from him."
It's still early in the 2026-27 season for the 2-1 Celtics, so they probably won't call up Mitchell in the near future. But, a time will come, whether it's because of injuries or rest, when the C's want to see what their second-round pick is made of.
If his willingness to learn from a former Celtics champion is any indication, he'll be ready for that day.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: How Ray Allen gave Dillon Mitchell keys to surviving with Celtics, in NBA
