Boston Celtics: Carsen Edwards is poised to help the C’s in the playoffs

Carsen Edwards is poised to have a breakout playoff performance and provide scoring from the bench for the Boston Celtics.

Will Carsen Edwards be the next player to wear No. 4 and provide the Boston Celtics with a playoff win?

In recent history, the Celtics have had numerous players donning the No. 4 jersey that helped the team bring home playoff wins. Starting with Nate Robinson in 2010, to Jason Terry in 2013, and most recently with Isaiah Thomas from 2015-2017.

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If we’re following history, that means rookie Carsen Edwards is next in line to come up big in the playoffs for the Celtics.

Edwards has had the obvious rookie struggles transitioning from the NCAA – where he was a star for the Purdue Boilermakers – to the NBA where his stellar college performance carried over into the Summer League but then quickly declined shortly thereafter.

After having a small taste of what the NBA is compared to the NCAA, Edwards was able to work on his overall game in the G-League with the Maine Red Claws and develop the necessary skills/ tools needed to help the Celtics and to become successful at the NBA level.

It’s fair to say that once Edwards joined the Red Claws that he regained the confidence that he had back in college. The Purdue product averaged 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in 13 games for the Red Claws this season.

What’s so great about Edwards is that he’s actually a complete player for his position, he just needed a little extra time to transition to the NBA. He’s capable of driving to the hoop, pulling up and shooting at almost any given time, and he can defend the ball more than what he gets credit for.

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Edwards is quite confident in himself when it comes to shooting and scoring the ball, which we all saw in his Summer League debut where he connected on an incredible eight 3-pointers in one quarter alone against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He ended the Summer League averaging 18 points per game on 52 percent shooting from the field and connected just over 40 percent from behind the arc.

The keen scoring ability that Edwards is capable of providing off the bench is an element the Celtics have been craving for some time now. His skills to create separation for himself is high caliber and he is rather efficient finding open looks from pick and roll situations from behind the arc when the screen is set for him.

Defensively, Edwards is like a dog who’s playing fetch with his owner; he’s always in the right spot to bring the ball back home. His hands are extremely active which gives him more opportunities to strip, poke, or steal the ball away and take it back to the other end of the floor.

Edwards also has great speed that compliments his excellent handling skills. All he needs is just one step to get past a defender and there’s typically no stopping him on his way to the basket.

All in all, with Edwards’ sharpened craft, he should become a great role player coming off the bench for the Boston Celtics during the playoffs.