After defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in their first two games of the Las Vegas Summer League circuit, the Boston Celtics defeated the Denver Nuggets handily (95-82) behind 23 points from rookie point guard Carsen Edwards.
The former Boilermakers star shined throughout the contest, once again showing himself to be the Summer Celtics’ best shot-creator and maker.
To make it all the more interesting, a number of Edwards’ points came as he played off-the-ball, running around screen after screen to take advantage of the increased space he’s finding at the NBA level.
Per Celtics.com’s Mark D’Amico:
“Obviously everybody’s offense is to get you an advantage, but I feel like the quick-hitters we have, the ones we put in, they put us in a good advantage going downhill,” he said. “And also it’s just space. It’s just different from college to the league. It’s just space. So like going downhill, coming off ball screens and things like that, there’s so much space.”
Edwards is now averaging 19.0 points (and 1.3 steals per game) on 53.8 percent shooting from the field and 48.0 percent shooting from three-point range.
A workout warrior, the Celtics have become enamored by Edwards and it’s clear that he’ll have every opportunity to be the team’s backup point guard.
Though he would go 0-4 from three-point range, bringing his three-point percentage down to 25.0 percent in Summer League, Celtics rookie forward Grant Williams also had a fine game with 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals in a team-high 29 minutes.
Though he’s been compared to Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green and Sixers big man Al Horford, Williams’ penchant for making game-winning plays and ability to be a glue player due to his all-around skillset continues to make comparisons to former Warriors sixth man Andre Iguodala particularly relevant.
It’s also notable that two-way signee Max Strus, who Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison believes could be a steal for Boston as a three-and-D player, tallied 12 points, five rebounds and three assists against the Nuggets in 15 minutes and in efficient fashion.
The 6-foot-6 guard shot 3-5 from the field, 2-3 from three and 4-4 from the free-throw line.
Boston’s next game will on Thursday, July 11, against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics will then be seeded for the Summer League championship tournament.
