Why Carsen Edwards will be an All-Star in the NBA (Part 2)
About a month ago I wrote my first article for League Alerts, titles “Why Carsen Edwards will be an All Star in the NBA”. This article will be an update of sorts, as the original article was written well before the draft and summer league. Please go read the original article if you want a more in depth look at his college career, as this one will cover his situation in Boston and his summer league performance.
Carsen Edwards has signed a 4 year, $4.5 million, fully guaranteed contract with the Boston Celtics, after they selected him with the 33rd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He’ll likely be their backup point guard behind Kemba Walker this next season, which could do wonders for his career. Brad Wanamaker is already 30 years old, and won’t be a part of Boston’s future, and Marcus Smart plays most of his minutes at the 2, so Carsen Edwards could have a significant role off the bench for Boston. Carsen Edwards has boatloads of potential, and Kemba Walker may be the key to unlocking it.
Carsen Edwards and Kemba Walker are both incredibly similar. They both had impressive tournament runs (Kemba Walker winning the national championship and Carsen Edwards losing in overtime to the eventual champions), and are known as some of the most accomplished college point guards in the last decade. They’re both undersized, score first point guards, who both struggle with efficiency. They’re not great playmakers, but they make up for it with their heart and determination. They are natural born leaders, and they’re what the term “heart over height”, means.
Carsen Edwards has had the perfect summer league. Now that he’s in the summer league playing with other NBA level talent, the defense isn’t solely focused on him. He now has more offensive freedom, which was showcased all throughout the summer league. He’s averaged 19.4 points, and 3.8 rebounds, shooting 48% from the field and 45% from three. He showed increased efficiency and shot IQ, while also impressing on defense, which was one area that he’s always struggled in. According to MassLive.com, “Carsen Edwards’ on-ball defense took the team out of its offense ‘all week’ in practice”.
His playmaking still isn’t where it needs to be. With all the NBA level talent on the court with him in the summer league, you’d expect his assists to go up, but compared to his college stats, his assists have actually gone down. He’s only played 5 summer league games, so it’s not an accurate representation of his playmaking abilities, but it still looks like one area that could use some improvement.
He showed that he’s improved his efficiency and defense, while also painting his scoring volume and confidence. He’s been out of college for approximately three months, and he’s already showed a world of improvement. If he can improve this much in summer league alone, who knows what he can do under Kemba Walker and Brad Stevens’ tutelage. Carsen Edwards is an elite scorer, who shows heart on both ends of the court. The sky’s the limit for this young superstar, and if all goes well, Carsen Edwards could be an All-Star in this league.
