HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – MARCH 23: Carsen Edwards #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers attempts a free throw against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 23, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
In an evening of late-round shuffling, the Celtics stuck to their script to begin round two of the 2019 NBA Draft, selecting Purdue’s Carsen Edwards with the No. 33 overall pick (via their trade with Philadelphia earlier in the night).
A 6-foot-1 guard, Edwards is regarded as an incredibly aggressive scorer, and was exactly that for the Boilermakers in 2018-19, with a Big 10-best 23.4 points per game, and with his three assists per game making him the first Big 10 player to average at least 23 points and three assists in the same season since Michigan State’s Shawn Respert accomplished the feat in 1995.
The 21-year-old Edwards was dynamite in an Elite Eight overtime loss against Virginia in the 2019 NCAA tournament, too, with 42 points on a 14-for-25 night from the field, which included a 10-for-19 effort from deep.
Edwards was money for the majority of March Madness, in fact, with two games of at least 40 points and 30 points per game behind a 41.7 percentage from the field, along with a 42 percent mark from deep over the course of Purdue’s five-game run.
Barring a trade, the Celts will wrap up their four-pick draft with the No. 51 overall selection.