NBA Draft 2019: 5 potential sleepers to watch

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 23: Mfiondu Kabengele #25 of the Florida State Seminoles dunks the ball against the Murray State Racers 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 Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – MARCH 30: Carsen Edwards #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers shoots a three pointer over Kihei Clark #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

4. Carsen Edwards, Guard, Purdue

Carsen Edwards might stand at (a listed) 6-foot-1 but don’t underestimate the Atascocita, Texas native for one second in the basketball court. Edwards is, simply put, a bucket-getter. With the basketball in his hands, he’ll find a way to get a shot off and more often than not that shot finds the bottom of the net. After three years playing for the Purdue Boilermakers, Edwards is ready to bring his instant offense to the NBA.

Edwards made an immediate impact at Purdue; he averaged 10.3 points and was the only freshman with at least 45 made 3-pointers and 35 steals in the Big Ten Conference. The following year, he helped the Boilermakers to a record 30-win season and dropped 40 points against Illinois to cement his status as one of the best players in college basketball. He opted to test the waters in the 2018 NBA Draft, but following the combine, he returned to school for his junior year.

He one-upped his sophomore performance and took home the Jerry West Award (best shooting guard in college), consensus second-team All-American, and his second-straight First-team All-Big Ten honors. He had games of 38, 40, and 42 (twice) points during his final season at Purdue. In the NCAA Tournament, he had a scoring run that hadn’t been seen since Stephen Curry led Davidson to the Elite Eight. Edwards set a record for most 3-pointers made (28) and tied Curry for the third-most 25-point games in NCAA Tournament history (five).

In the past, Edwards lack of height and being more combo guard than point guard would likely cause NBA teams to pass over him. Nowadays, players like Edwards — see: Thomas, Isaiah — are prospering in the NBA thanks to the openness of the court and the emphasis on having as much scoring as possible on the floor together. We’ve seen score-first players like Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams thrive in the league and while Edwards is shorter than both he could fit perfectly in their off-the-bench scoring roles.

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