Even as a youngster, Boston Celtics rookie Carsen Edwards was already playing the role of the underdog. In high school, Edwards was once demoted to the junior varsity squad, which lit a fire under the highly-motivated and talented young man.
Speaking to Tom Westerholm of Mass Live, Edwards explained exactly why this unwanted development meant so much to him.
“Not because, ‘Oh, it made me want to prepare better,’ nah,” Edwards said. “‘You did this, now everybody that’s on varsity, I’m going to kill them, regardless. I don’t care. Even my brother, I’m gonna kill him, too. I’m gonna kill everyone out here because you think they’re better than me.’
“I get worked up thinking about it now. My thing was just to make him feel so stupid for not letting me play.”
That's one way of looking at things, I guess. At the end of the day, it still did the job for Edwards, as it would propel him into becoming one of the best recruits of his class.
Edwards' journey in the NBA started in a similar fashion, with the 21-year-old settling for an early second-round selection. Despite his tremendous play last season as a junior at Purdue — Edwards averaged 24.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists — a lot of team decided to pass on the opportunity to pick him up in the first round.
By now, Edwards is already use to being underestimated, and given his history, it would not be surprising if he ends up proving himself as one of the biggest steals of the second round. The Celtics would probably like that.
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