Boston Celtics: Carsen Edwards could be a key cog off the bench

Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, after losing Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier, Carsen Edwards could emerge as a key cog off the bench for the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics come into this season absolutely loaded at the wing position, chock full of long, cagey perimeter players that can drive tenaciously, defend with their impressive wingspan, and snag boards.

And, despite losing premier big man Al Horford, find themselves fairly populous at the 4 and 5 as well, boasting Enes Kanter and a handful of other young, hungry bigs looking to cut their teeth and secure more minutes as Brad Stevens and company look to nail down who will be starting, and who will be filling rotational roles.

These positions are going to be vital to the success of Beantown coming into this season, but the bread and butter of the current offensive system depends ultimately on the ball-handlers the club picked up over the summer: Kemba Walker, Carsen Edwards, and Tremont Waters – and how the coaching staff that has turned little guys like Isaiah Thomas into MVP-candidates – uses them.

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There is no doubt that this staff knows how to get the best out of its guards, and gameplans nearly always highlight this fact. Beautiful, multiple screens at the top of the key designed to get rugged, hardworking off-ball hustlers clean looks at 3, pick and rolls games with bigs that can pass off the elbow after backing down and hit the man for the open look behind the line – exactly what helped Isaiah Thomas average 28 points per game on nearly 38 percent shooting, earning him the moniker “King in the Fourth”.

Kemba Walker draws many warranted comparisons to Thomas in size, playstyle, and his expected utilization in the system, but he is a proven all-star who carries few questions around what he is capable of achieving in the upcoming season. Where do bigger concerns lie? Who is going to help stabilize this club when their all-star point guard hits the pine for a rest, or take a game off to get much-deserved rest?

There is the obvious and most likely choice in tenacious bulldog Marcus Smart, a brilliant combo guard capable of handling the opposing teams 1-4, sometimes even getting down low and locking down smaller centers – he does a bit of it all: shoot, pass, defend, direct the plays on both sides of the floor, and is going to find himself in need of a supporting ballhandler to help keep things running smoothly and preserve his focus on the defensive end.

Enter Carsen Edwards, the 6-foot-1 SNIPER coming out of Purdue – where he was given remarkable control of the offense, something that he rewarded the program with by dominating the pick-and-roll, averaging 34 points for his career in postseason play, an achievement that helped him earn two All-American selections.

The man is a certified bucket getter – not only getting his numbers pulling from the parking lot, but he is also a determined fighter off the ball using designed plays to find space for catch and shoots that he releases with incredible efficiency.

His lower body strength allows him to create space for his shot, push in for acrobatic drives, or seek out the foul on the defender when pressed – all playing with a quick pace that makes him the perfect sparkplug off the bench to replace the production lost by the departure of backup point guard Terry Rozier.

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When you tune in to the Green Teamers this season, look for the diminutive flamethrower to be launching and making some astounding shots from behind the arc.

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