Boston Celtics: 2019 NBA Draft grades

No. 33 pick: Carsen Edwards

With the No. 33 pick in the NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics found another steal. With a pick they acquired by trading down with the 76ers, the Celtics took another high-upside scoring guard in Purdue’s Carsen Edwards.

Edwards improved astronomically as a scorer in each of his three seasons as a Boilermaker, while playing in the country’s most notoriously defensive conference. While Edwards’ shooting percentage fell off from 45.8 percent in 2017-18 to 39.4 percent a season ago, much of that had to do with the departure of Isaac Haas, forcing him to carry the vast majority of the offensive load.

Edwards had one of the highest usage rates in America, at a whopping 37.3 percent, which forgives his shooting drop-off considerably. He spent the entire season attempting 19.5 shots per game, with 10.6 coming from deep. With fewer opportunities, as he will certainly get with Boston, look for Edwards to demonstrate efficient scoring off the bench — which the Celtics desperately need.

As Big Ten Player of the Year runner-up, Edwards also displayed defensive versatility and high athleticism for his size and position, and should be an extremely exciting addition to the Celtics’ roster.

Grade: A