Boston Celtics: Carsen Edwards has a chance to be team’s biggest rookie contributor in 2019-20

The Boston Celtics came away from the 2019 NBA Draft with four selections, two of which were within the first round. Out of all the team’s incoming rookies, second round combo guard Carsen Edwards could very well have the biggest impact on the team during the 2019-20 season.

To put things lightly, for fans of the Boston Celtics, it’s been a rough couple of months. From their disappointing second round playoff exit, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in five, to Kyrie Irving and Al Horford’s reported desire to jump ship this summer, bad fortune has seemingly followed the organization at every turn.

Though the offseason has shown to be pretty bleak to this point, after the success of last Thursday’s NBA Draft, the organization’s future outlook appears to be headed for brighter days. With four selections in total, two of which being first rounders, the Celtics managed to nab a handful of quality talent that should help them stay playoff bound for the foreseeable future.

With young bucks such as Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall (un-drafted) all getting fair shots to call Beantown “home”, it appears Boston is in for a  fun and competitive summer league. Though there is no guarantee any of these players will suit up for the Celtics at all this year, chances are, we’ll see a few of them logging minutes during the regular season. And, if second round selection Carsen Edwards makes the final 15-man roster, don’t be surprised if he becomes the team’s biggest rookie contributor during the 2019-20 campaign.

Edwards is a scoring machine who did nothing but ball out during his three-year collegiate career. Each new season saw new highs for the point guard, as he improved in almost every statistical category year after year. In his final season with Purdue, Edwards was named to the All-American Second-Team as he put up impressive averages of 24.3 PPG, 2.9 APG and 1.3 SPG while shooting 40% from the field and 36% from deep.

During the team’s NCAA Tournament run, Edwards showed the world his game has the potential of reaching even greater heights. Through four games, the point guard managed to average a stellar 34.8 PPG, tied for the ninth most in tournament history. Under the bright lights of March Madness he shot lights out from deep, notching himself a 46% clip from beyond the arc while on his way to setting a new tournament record for 3-point field goals made with an average of seven makes per game.

The previous holder of said record? Stephen Curry.

Though Edwards was selected in the second round of the draft, his game oozes with first round talent and an NBA ready scoring prowess. As to why the guard slid, perhaps it’s due to his smallish stature at 6-1 and his lack of a passing game (2.5 APG in three seasons). However, even with these “weaknesses” in Edwards’ play, Boston fans should be very optimistic about his arrival.

With Irving seemingly on his way out of Boston, the Celtics seem to be in dire need of depth in their backcourt, specifically in the scoring department. This, coupled with the fact that Head Coach Brad Stevens’ offensive scheme is heavily focused on the point guard position, makes the idea of Edwards finding minutes in the team’s rotation this season that much more likely.

Carsen Edwards has the capability of being a “spark plug” off the pine for the Celtics in year one. The scoring guard would be welcomed to the second unit with open arms, coming in to create on offense when others are seemingly stagnant. Though he was the teams third selection on draft night, don’t be surprised if Edwards becomes Boston’s biggest rookie contributor during the 2019-20 campaign.