Don’t miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Cavs, which tips off tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live, and then Mike & Scal have the call of the game at 7 p.m. You can also stream the game through the MyTeams App.
*****
BOSTON — Carsen Edwards has been shooting the ball very un-Carsen Edwards-like this season, making just 22.7 percent of his attempts after a blistering shooting display in the preseason.
He also just chopped off his dreadlocks and is rockin’ a new haircut.
New haircut, looking for a fresh start shooting the ball … it’s all connected right?
It makes for a plausible narrative, but it doesn’t speak to the truth, as Edwards explains.
“I thought it was time,” Edwards told NBC Sports Boston. “I told my mom I would get it cut a while ago. I had a day off, so I just cut them.”
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Edwards has a scorer’s mentality, so it takes a lot more than a couple off-nights shooting the ball to truly rattle his confidence.
But if he is to get out of his early season slump, there’s a good chance it will be Tuesday night when he returns to Cleveland, the place that put him prominently on the scouting report of just about every team the Celtics will face.
In Boston’s 118-95 preseason blowout win over the Cavs, Edwards put on a scoring clinic you'll seldom see anywhere, regular season preseason or otherwise.
He scored a total of 30 points, 24 of which came in a five-minute scoring binge in the third quarter on eight -- yes, eight -- made 3-pointers.
It was the kind of performance that was reminiscent of some of the magical runs he went on for Purdue in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
But those games, as well as his offensive explosion at Cleveland, are a blur now.
Edwards is more consumed by doing whatever he can to help the Celtics win, which on Tuesday will involve him making a few more shots than he has in past games.
The 6-foot-1 guard isn’t overly concerned about his shooting slump, adding that he and the Celtics coaches have pinpointed some things he can do that should help get him back on track offensively.
At this point, Edwards is keeping a clear head about what’s next.
“I just go out and try to play the best I can and try and help my team win,” he said. “That’s the only thing I think about; that’s the only thing I can control.”
Better shooting from Edwards will certainly enhance Boston’s chances of extending its current winning streak -- the longest in the Eastern Conference following Philly’s loss at Phoenix on Monday -- to five in a row and help make the second-round pick a cut above the rest.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.