Carsen Edwards may never match his incredible 42-point explosion against Virginia in the Elite Eight of last season’s NCAA Tournament, but boy, did he come close on Tuesday. In the third quarter of tonight’s game between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, Edwards scored 26 points on eight made 3-pointers. He did this while sitting out the final three minutes and 14 seconds of the frame. 

The regular-season record for points in a quarter belongs to Klay Thompson with 37, and even if he had matched it, the preseason setting would have cheapened the effort in comparison to Thompson’s outburst in 2015. Still, the performance caps a strong preseason for Edwards. 

Coming into tonight’s game, Edwards was Boston’s third-leading scorer in the preseason at 10.3 points per game. Needless to say, that average just rose considerably. He finished the game with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Edwards, a second-round pick acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, has largely outshined Boston’s two first-round picks during the preseason. 

No. 14 overall pick Romeo Langford has dealt with injuries and has not played much so far. Grant Williams, picked No. 22 overall, has played more and been better, but hasn’t meaningfully stood out as Edwards has. 

Only Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart are guaranteed minutes in Boston’s backcourt, though their abundance of wings will likely force at least one forward to slide down some of the time. There is playing time available right now, and Edwards is seizing it. As a smaller point guard in Boston, he will likely draw comparisons to former All-Star Isaiah Thomas, and right now, those comparisons look earned. The regular-season hasn’t even begun, and Edwards already looks like one of the steals of the 2019 NBA Draft.