Boston Celtics: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Adam Taylor
Drafting Carsen Edwards
Picked 33rd overall after a solid final year at Purdue, Carsen Edwards oozes potential after averaging 24.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 36 games.
He stands out on the court due to the muscle density of his quads, but it’s what the 6-foot, 200-pound guard can do with a basketball that really catches your eye.
The potential steal of the draft, Edwards is able to hit the 3 or drive the lane, forcing defenses to make a tough decision — commit or sag. His shooting percentages from college are not terrible 41.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3 over 108 games.
He also showed his potential in the pick and roll coupled with a dominant isolation game.
A great impression in summer league has positioned Edwards with the opportunity to fight with Brad Wanamaker for the backup guard minutes.
Over the five Summer League games, Edwards averaged 19.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and a steal over 23.3 minutes per game, showcasing his full offensive arsenal against a higher level of opposition.
With his ability to hit the 3, run the pick and roll and get a bucket when one-on-one, there is an opportunity to develop on the fly — just like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart did. Now it’s on to training camp for him to continue to impress the coaching staff.
It would be a stretch to say Edwards will be an ever-present in the rotation this upcoming season, but his potential should mean we see him play 12-16 minutes a game early on while Brad Stevens figures out his rotations.
From there it is on this very talented young guard to seize his opportunity, forcing Stevens to make a tough call regarding Edwards or Wanamaker for that available backup spot.