Boston Celtics: Assessing the fit of the 3 best veteran free agents available

Jamal Crawford: Isolation Scoring & Mentorship

If Carsen Edwards pans out, the need for an isolation bench scorer won’t be a pressing one at all. Given his stat sheet-stuffing ways during the NBA Summer League this past July in Las Vegas coupled with his 2019 NCAA March Madness run with Purdue, the odds are likely that Edwards will prove he can score at the highest level.

The Boston Celtics would be better off bringing the rookie guard along slowly, though. There is simply no need to rush Edwards onto the floor to be the primary playmaker for the Celtics’ second unit. If anything, rushing him onto the floor could result in an early loss of confidence if things don’t pan out right away.

Instead, Ainge should consider a player who does many of the same things Boston expects out of Edwards but has proven capable of doing at the highest level for a long time.

Enter Jamal Crawford.

Crawford has made a career for himself as an offensive wizard. With his yo-yo handles coupled with his all around scoring prowess, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year has proven to be quite a problem for defenders over the years.

The 39-year-old has a per-36 minutes career average of 17.9 points per game on 41% shooting from the field and 35% from deep. Though he may have lost a step or two during his twilight years, the combo guard has proven still to be an offensive force. Last season, Crawford became the oldest player in NBA history to score 50+ points in a single game as well as becoming the only player in league history to put up as many points with four different franchises.

With the Boston Celtics, Crawford would be a great mentor for the promising offensive talent that is Edwards and would be an instant offensive contributor off the bench.