Boston Celtics rookie Carsen Edwards making his biggest impact off the court

While Carsen Edwards — the 33rd pick in this year’s draft by the Boston Celtics — may have been highly touted as a scoring machine coming into 2019-20, it appears the rookie’s biggest impact so far this season has come off the hardwood.

Though they may be high-profile professional athletes, it must never be forgotten; NBA players are people just like you and me. No matter what opinion you may have of them in reference to their “nine-to-five”, whether it be a player on a big-market franchise like the Boston Celtics or a small market like the Memphis Grizzlies, off the court they hold personal and private lives that are oft kept from the public eye.

However, if you dig deep enough, you may find a few glimpses of the “off-the-clock” persona for some of your favorite players. This holds true for all members of the association, including Boston Celtics rookie combo-guard, Carsen Edwards.

Coming into the league as the 33rd pick in this year’s draft, Edwards was seen by many as an absolute steal for a Celtics team with legitimate championship aspirations. During his three year collegiate career, the guard proved to be quite the scoring machine, averaging 17.8 points to go along with 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

During his final year with the Purdue Boilermakers, Carsen Edwards was playing on an entirely new level, as he put up a whopping 24.3 points a game. With this in mind, it appears the Boston Celtics added a player who should seriously help their second unit scoring numbers for this season and for seasons to come.

As we all know, however, the rookie has not gotten off to the best start to his NBA career, statistically speaking. Currently, Edwards is averaging a mere 4.8 points per game to go along with 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 34% shooting from the field and 32% shooting from deep.

Thus far, it would appear the 6-1 guard has not had the impact on the court that many had expected. However, despite his counting stats being relatively pedestrian, the rookie is still making his presence known in the city of Boston, and as a member of the storied Celtics franchise.

Carson Thomas Lane, a seven-year-old Manchester, N.H. native, tragically lost his mother, Courtney Lane Gaouette, to cystic fibrosis — as reported by Andy Hershberger, a News Reporter for WMUR-TV. A little over than a week since her passing, Carson and his entire family have received nothing but love and support from countless individuals.

"“We’ve been inundated with messages and tweets and emails and phone calls. It’s just been a tremendous outpouring of love for this little boy.”– Lisa Lane McCarty, Carson’s great aunt"

After seeing a viral tweet from the boy’s great-grandfather — a blogger and die-hard Boston Celtics fan — that spoke of how grateful Carson would be to receive “a card or two of support”, Carsen Edwards found out the family’s mailing information and sent Lane a box filled with Celtics merchandise. Joshua Farrell, Carson’s mother’s boyfriend, also got two tickets to bring the boy to a Celtics game this season.

"“I feel great,” Carson said. “Because I’m really thankful that they’re putting all this work into what they’re giving me.”– Carson Thomas Lane"

McCarty stated that the boy has been having both good and bad days, but is hoping to go back to school next week.

This act of kindness by Edwards is a simple reminder that, despite their status as NBA players, at the end of the day, these athletes are just regular people. They feel and give just like any other person should.

Despite his rookie “hiccups” on the court so far in 2019-20, fans should not lose faith in their team’s first year guard. After all, basketball, at the end of the day, is just a sport. As this story will remind you, there’s more to life than simple games and entertainment.

Though his production on the hardwood may not be living up to some fan’s preseason expectations, the Boston Celtics should be nothing but proud to have themselves a person/ player like Carsen Edwards on their roster. As his career progresses, his impact on the court should start to trend in a more positive direction.

However, as of right now, it appears his biggest impact as an NBA player has come off the court. I, for one, am delighted that “Title Town” has a man like Edwards in tow.

(*** P.S. From all of us here at Hardwood Houdini, we send our love and thoughts to Carson Thomas Lane and his entire family during these trying times ***)