Tag: Carsen Edwards

WATCH: Boston Celtics Guard Carsen Edwards 2019-20 FULL Highlight Reel

The Boston Celtics put together quite a highlight reel for first-year guard Carsen Edwards.

While Boston Celtics rookie Carsen Edwards’ first season in the NBA didn’t start out with the level of accuracy he is accustomed to as far as shooting goes, he has still managed to put together a solid rookie campaign, fueled by constant hard work and the determination to improve.

The former Boilermaker has filled up stat sheets in his time with the Maine Red Claws — where Edwards has spent the bulk of his floor time in 2019-20 — at the G League level, and had a few solid outings in his limited minutes with the parent club as well.

The Purdue product put up 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game with the Red Claws, and 3 points, 1.2 boards and 0.6 assists per game with the Celtics in limited minutes this season.

He was also singled out recently by center Robert Williams as being one of the rookies who has grown the most over the hiatus.

Watch the video embedded above to see all of the best moments of Edwards’ season so far in this team-produced highlight reel of the Texan guard’s inaugural season.

Time Lord sees progress in Langford, Edwards and Fall post-hiatus

Boston Celtics second-year center Robert Williams III sees progress in the games of Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards and Tacko Fall post-hiatus.

Boston Celtics second-year center Robert Williams agrees with the team’s head coach Brad Stevens that the Celtics’ second unit is looking better in practice as the team gears up for its first inter-team scrimmage this Friday.

Speaking at Monday’s post-practice media availability at the Disney-hosted restart, Time Lord shared two players in particular stood out to him in terms of growth in their games since the start of the COVID-19 hiatus in early March.

“As far as different-looking players, I’ll go with Romeo [Langford and Carson [Edwards],” he explained.

“As a second group, you’ve got the chip on your … shoulder when you’re playing against the first group, so you always want to bring it. And I feel like maybe in previous practices before the season ended,  the second group had been getting down on themselves, and stopped competing but now [they are] fighting back.”

“A lot of trash talk makes them more competitive,” he added.

Between injuries and cold streaks, a lot of the rookies playing on Boston’s second unit seemed frustrated by their inability to get things going on the offensive end before the break, and perhaps no more so than Langford and Edwards.

Asked what was different, the Louisiana native shared it was mainly an attitude adjustment, which makes sense.

For first-year players, simply adjusting to the exigencies of playing at the NBA level requires a considerable adjustment from life at the NCAA level, where they had long been the best or nearly so on their teams.

Not so anymore — playing time must be earned, especially on a roster with designs on contention.

Williams related the duo have been showing “more aggressiveness, more … realizing what they’re capable of. Just leaning on each other, being able to take criticism on their own game.”

“They’ve grown up a lot as far as being on the court,” observed the Lord of Time.

Boston two way fan favorite Tacko Fall also stood out as a player who has been making strides forward.

The Senegalese center has been putting in work to become a more mobile, more capable player for the modern NBA, and Williams has seen his hard work manifest into better play in practices.

“We love Tock, Tock is taking any challenges thrown at him, sometimes Tacko may play the middle of the zone [defense] the whole practice, guarding everybody,” explained the Texas A&M product.

“He never shies away from anything; he wants to be different. He doesn’t want to be known as a seven-footer who can’t move. You can see the progress he’s made, you can see that he’s grinding, and he wants to be known for different stuff.”

“You can do anything but respect it,” Williams added.

The former Aggie has made big strides himself, reportedly faster than he was in the past, and fully healthy after missing a big chunk of the season due to a severe hip bruise.

The nascent passing game and better overall body control has hinted that the second-year center might be ready for a bigger role on the team.

And with the reported growth of his peers on the second unit, the Celtics might indeed be as deadly of an opponent post-hiatus as teammate Enes Kanter believes them.

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Celtics rookies spent Tuesday biking around the bubble at Disney

Celtics center Vincent Poirier posted a video on Instagram of Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards and Tacko Fall all riding bikes at Disney.

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With the team off from practice, a trio of Boston Celtics rookies spent part of Tuesday riding bicycles around the bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.

Celtics center Vincent Poirier posted a video on Instagram, via Chris Grenham of Forbes, of teammates Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards and Tacko Fall all riding bikes throughout Disney. The group of players all had on masks during the ride, per NBA rules.

After participating in practice in each of the past four days, the team had the day off on Tuesday. While Langford, Fall, Edwards and Poirier were on bikes, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Grant Williams were seen on the driving range earlier in the day.

Each player on the Celtics appears to be enjoying the bubble so far as the team prepares for the season restart July 31 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The team has had strong team chemistry all season long and that appears to be the case once again at Disney.

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Count Carsen Edwards as excited to leave his mandatory quarantine

Celtics rookie Carsen Edwards was among those that were ecstatic to leave the confines of his hotel room to return to practice.

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Most of the 22 teams set to restart the season at the Walt Disney World Resort have now completed a mandatory quarantine period and returned to practice for the first time since the season shut down in March.

Needless to say, some players were excited to leave their hotel rooms.

After arriving this week, players needed to return two negative coronavirus tests at least 24 hours apart before being cleared to practice. Players used a variety of ways to stay entertained during isolation, from buying a new 85-inch TV like P.J. Tucker to using a panini press like Kyle Kuzma.

Boston Celtics rookie Carsen Edwards was among those that were ecstatic to leave the confines of his hotel room to return to practice on Friday. Edwards’ teammate Javonte Green posted his hilarious reaction on Instagram, via Chris Grenham of Forbes.

The Celtics returned to the practice for the second time on Saturday morning as they ramp up preparations for the restart later this month. They will open up play against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 31.

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Celtics share photo of Williams, Edwards back in the practice facility

Celtics rookies Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards were among the players pictured back in the training facility ahead of the season restart.

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Boston Celtics rookies Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards were among the players this week pictured back in the training facility ahead of the NBA season restart this month.

On Wednesday, mandatory individual workouts started for players on the 22 teams set to restart the season at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. The picture gave fans an opportunity to keep up with players as they ramp up preparations for the season restart.

Of course, the Celtics are among the 22 teams that will travel beginning July 7 to the Wide World of Sports Complex. Teams will begin to quarantine upon arrival with the first set of games scheduled to tip-off July 30.

The Celtics enter the restart this month third in the Eastern Conference, three games back of the Toronto Raptors in second place. The group will face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in their first game back in action on July 31.

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On this day: Celtics draft Langford, Williams, Edwards, Waters

On this day in 2019, the Boston Celtics drafted Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters.

On this day, the Boston Celtics drafted four players of note in the 2019 NBA Draft.

With the 51st pick, the Celtics selected 5-foot-10 point guard Tremont Waters out of Louisiana State University, who would later sign with the team as a two way player who spent most of his rookie season with the Maine Red Claws — the Celtics’ G League developmental affiliate.

There, he would earn G League Rookie of the Year honors while averaging 18 points, 3.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2 steals per game while shooting 7.1 3-pointers per game with 35.4 % accuracy in his inaugural season.

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Carsen Edwards has been training with Patrick Beverley, others

Celtics rookie Carsen Edwards has been among a contingent of NBA players training together in Houston

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Boston Celtics rookie Carsen Edwards has been among a contingent of NBA players training together with trainer Aaron Miller of Elite Basketball Training in Houston, Texas.

Edwards was seen participating in private runs with the likes of Patrick Beverley, Josh Grey, Isaiah Canaan and Bruno Caboclo among others. Edwards had his full array of tricks on display, from his ability to drive to the basket and hit from deep.

As the NBA is finalizing plans to return to play beginning in July at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, players have started to ramp up preparations for restarting the season. In addition to Edwards, Ja Morant and R.J. Hampton also recently hit the gym together.

Of course, the Celtics, in third place in the Eastern Conference when the season was suspended on March 11, would be among the 22 teams set to return to play at Disney and compete in the playoffs.

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WATCH: Carsen Edwards training with Pat Beverly, Isaiah Canaan, others

Watch Boston Celtics rookie shooting guard Carsen Edwards getting in some reps down in his native Texas as he ramps up for the season restart in Florida.

Boston Celtics rookie shooting guard Carsen Edwards was recently scoped getting in some practice with a number of NBA players in Houston, Texas recently, reports Forbes’ Chris Grenham.

Along with Pat Beverly, Bruno Caboclo, Isaiah Canaan, Damyean Dotson and others, the Texan first-year guard could be seen getting in some training time with fellow NBAers in a video shared by NBA skills trainer Aaron Miller last week.

Edwards, who has had a rough rookie season from a shooting perspective, needs to get his confidence up from behind the arc, where he has shot just 30.9 % at the NBA level (and just 32.7 % overall) compared to his 36.8 % clip while with Purdue.

With the season restarting in Florida at the Disney-owned ESPN Wide World of Sport complex in Lake Buena Vista, Edwards will get another chance to end his inaugural campaign as a pro with some forward momentum.

So, getting in some reps with high-caliber opponents like these players should help get the former Boilermaker back on track to close out 2019-20 on a high note.

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2019 NBA Draft: 10 Bold Preseason Predictions Revisited

Rookie Wire revisits 10 bold predictions regarding the 2019 NBA Draft class made prior to the 2019-20 season.

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Back when in October when basketball was being played, we made 10 bold predictions here on Rookie Wire for the Class of 2019 heading into the 2019-20 season.

We vowed to come back to the list to see just how we did, either good or bad. After further review, some of the predictions were just too bold and didn’t come close to happening.

With the season in jeopardy due to the coronavirus pandemic, we decided to revisit the predictions since the regular season likely won’t be played in full, although no official decision has been made.

So, buckle up and let’s see just how we did, and please don’t alert the authorities at Freezing Cold Takes.

1. Matisse Thybulle will finish inside the top 5 in steals among all players

Verdict: Wrong

We had good reason to believe this could happen. Thybulle ranked third among all players in steals during the preseason and was just coming off of an outstanding year at Washington in which he won Defensive Player of the Year. Ultimately, though, his 80 total steals were tied for 22nd among all players prior to the suspension of the regular season on March 11.

2. Tyler Herro will set the NBA rookie record for most 3-pointers

Verdict: Wrong

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell set the rookie record for most 3-pointers in a season with 187. Mitchell shot 34% (187-of-550) from beyond the arc as a rookie and played 33.4 minutes per game. In contrast, Herro made 99 3-pointers this season and averaged 27.2 minutes in 47 games but missed 18 games due to a foot injury and really never had a chance to break the record. His 2.1 3-point makes per game would have fallen short of the goal needed but it likely would have been close had he been healthy all season. Despite missing so much time, Herro’s 99 makes are still fifth among all rookies.

3. Chris Clemons will earn a standard NBA contract from the Rockets

Verdict: Correct

The undrafted guard started off the season on a two-way contract and eventually earned a standard contract from the Houston Rockets in December. Though he has yet to see consistent playing time, Clemons has provided a spark off of the bench at times throughout the season.

4. Zion Williamson will still win the Rookie of the Year award

Verdict: Wrong

Back in October, the initial timeline for Williamson to return from knee surgery was mid-to-late December. Of course, Williamson wouldn’t debut until Jan. 22 and logged only 19 games this season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Of course, a Rookie of the Year winner has not yet been crowned but it is a virtual certainty that Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will win. Had Williamson debuted on time like most had thought, the ROY race would have been closer than it is now.

5. Ja Morant will average at least 10 assists during the upcoming season

Verdict: Wrong, again

While Morant has been an assist machine at times this season, he finished shy of that mark with 6.9 assists per game at the time of the season suspension. He fell well short of the prediction, but, hey, they are called bold predictions for a reason. Morant led all rookies in assists, though, and ranked 14th among all players.

6. Tacko Fall will win the G League Defensive Player of the Year award

Verdict: TBD

While an official decision has yet to be announced, the NBA G League season is basically canceled. The end-of-season awards have not been announced though it is still possible the 7-foot-5 Fall earns the Defensive Player of the Year award. Fall averaged 12.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 29 games played. He finished sixth in rebounding and third in blocks while his 18 double-doubles ranked eighth. He also nearly recorded a point-rebound-block triple-double this season. We’re holding out hope Fall wins to help our prediction rate here…

7. Carsen Edwards will place on an All-Rookie NBA Team

Verdict: No chance

Edwards made just 35 appearances in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and averaged just three points per game. He spent some time in the G League at one point and never seriously challenged for playing time. So, what had happened was… We may have overreacted to some of his electric performances in the preseason and placed a huge prediction on him.

8. R.J. Barrett will start every game he plays for the Knicks

Verdict: Wrong

Barrett earned the start in 55 of the New York Knicks’ 56 games this season. After missing nine games due to a sprained right ankle, Barrett came off of the bench in his first game back on Feb. 6 against the Orlando Magic and logged just 18 minutes of work. He started each game after that through the season suspension.

9. Jordan Poole will log at least 25 minutes per game with the Warriors

Verdict: Wrong

Poole averaged 22.3 minutes per game this season with the Golden State Warriors. The team leaned on him heavily at the beginning of the year after dealing with injuries to several players. Poole was eventually relegated to the G League after struggling but that stint with Santa Cruz proved to help him as he started to get back on track prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

10. Coby White will place on an All-Rookie First Team

Verdict: Doubtful

White largely had an up-and-down rookie campaign but was one of the hottest players in the NBA in February and March. He scored at least 30 points in three straight games from Feb. 22-25 and averaged 24.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 rebounds on 40.7% shooting from 3-point range in 10 games after the All-Star break. While a place on the First Team seems far fetched, it is worth noting awards voter Zach Lowe of ESPN had White on his Second Team.

*****

Upon further review, we were way off with these predictions. But despite batting just 10% this year, we figured what would be more fun than exposing some cold takes?

We hope to get back on track next season, when that time comes.

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Ex-Grizzlies exec unimpressed with Boston’s 2019-20 rookies

Ex-Memphis Grizzlies executive and current analyst for The Athletic John Hollinger isn’t very high on the Boston Celtics’ 2019-20 rookies.

After the way their inaugural season went, it’s hard to blame The Athletic’s John Hollinger for his lack of enthusiasm for the Boston Celtics 2019-20 rookie class.

In their defense, they’ve been thrown on a top-five team on both ends of the floor and have been asked to make meaningful contributions in many cases that they simply weren’t ready to do at this stage of their career — and not many first-year players can stay on the floor long anyway.

Hollinger’s gripes are all legitimate ones, though it tends to read as someone who hasn’t spent the same degree of detail watching the class grow and adapt to what has been a fairly bumpy season for some.

Forward Grant Williams got the best review of any Celtics rookie, and while he was actually a significant part of Boston’s rotation, it didn’t exactly floor the former Griz front office member.

“Williams was the most effective in the regular season because he has a high basketball IQ and plays solid defense,” opined Hollinger. “Offensively, however, he’s a total zero, and his glaring weaknesses as a shooter and ballhandler are going to really hurt him in a playoff series.”

Hollinger doesn’t think Williams’ shooting will be coming along any time soon regardless of whether he’s put that terrible cold streak to start his pro career behind him or not.

But he’s not ruling out the Tennessee product getting to the point of being a consistent jump-shooting threat, either.

Guard Carsen Edwards, conversely, is cast as the stereotypical Summer League success story of smaller, trigger-happy gloves who can’t replicate the success they had in Las Vegas at the NBA level. “He’s very small and not really a point guard, so he has to rain fire to have value,” notes Hollinger.

The former exec grants the team’s highest pick — wing Romeo Langford — some slack for the myriad injuries incurred throughout the course of his Celtics tenure.

But he also picked on him for getting only six assists (and while he may have missed a lot of games, that is a low number) and his low rebound rate despite standing 6-foot-6.

He did not mention Langford’s impressive growth as a defender, especially late in the season where he handled some very difficult matchups in short stints — even LeBron James — effectively.

In fact, if he had his way, Hollinger would try packaging Langford with all three of Boston’s 2020 first-round draft picks in a bid to land Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins.

While he isn’t all the way off the island of Danny Ainge’s 2019 draft selections, it’s clear there is a common theme.

Defense matters little in Hollinger’s metrics on what the Celtics need from these prospects, and playoff playability — and shooting in particular — being the key for all three to claim a major role in this team’s success.

The Athletic analyst is big on Time Lord, the second-year center more commonly known as Robert Williams.

The Texas A&M product has had “unbelievable stretches of play this season” and “seems ready to take on a much larger role”, but ought to be a much bigger part of what Boston is doing going forward according to Hollinger.

A fair if not exactly glowing assessment of Boston’s incoming draft picks playing significant minutes at the NBA level.

But also a tough — but not insuperable — path for Langford, Edwards and Williams to traverse if they want a long career in this league.

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