The Boston Celtics added four high-character players at the 2019 NBA Draft, but Carsen Edwards very well could stand out as the steal of the group.
After a stellar NCAA Tournament run with Purdue, Edwards fell to Boston at pick No. 33, allowing Danny Ainge to add another scorer to the organization’s backcourt. One Celtics coach is very high on the 6-foot-1 point guard.
An anonymous member of Boston’s coaching staff told Celtics Blog’s Keith Smith why Edwards will be a solid investment for the organization, even going as far as calling him a “killer.”
“That’s a classic Danny (Ainge) pick,” they told Smith. “He loves those undersized guards who have a heart as big as this gym. Carsen is a killer. He’s strong too. We wanted to sit him a game out here and he looked at us like we took his world away. It will take a bit for him to adjust to the NBA, but we’ve got another good guard coming.”
His strength is a sure positive, especially considering his size, or lack thereof. The coach noted this as well, but added that the size issue could hurt him a bit defensively.
“He’s got that little move all small guards need to create space. He gets a shoulder (truly a shoulder and not his arm) into the defender and steps back. He’s strong when driving. I didn’t see him get stripped once. Not a pure point guard by any means, but Boston has had a lot of luck with guys who are pure lead guards. Defensively he’s competitive, but his size hurts him there. Probably need to match him with good defenders around him.”
Boston signed Edwards to a four-year, $4.5 million deal earlier this month.
