There is no appreciable difference in their heights. 3-4 inches at that level is not a lot.
That is an untrue statement if there ever was one. Big Difference between a 6-8 vs a 7 foot center and a 6-1 and 6-5 guard. There are guys who can beat the difference with skill and talent but size matters a lot in basketball.
Oh I stand by my posts... basketball as I have said countless number of times here is still a big man games and we need bigs. I am glad Danny is addressing that problem, but at the lower ebb 5'9 is not appreciably less than 6'1 especially when the 5'9 guy played had the hops of a 6'5 guy.
I still believe that on offense IT is the best comparison for Carsen (my favorite Celtic).
By the way, 6'8 vs 7'1 and 6'1 vs 6'5 is totally different from 5'9 vs 6'1.
I don't disagree about the importance of bigs, but IMHO you are drastically understating the difference between 5'9 and 6'1 even for guards. IT was constantly singled out and attacked in switches by opposing teams, because of his size he was clearly a weak link in the defense.
At 6'1 Edwards won't be as easy to attack. Look at it this way, against a 6'4 guard Edwards only gives up 3 inches, that's not too bad of a match up. IT would be giving up 7 inches, he would not even be able to bother a shot in that scenario. It's a much bigger difference than you think.
I also think the two are different with respect to strength and speed. Edwards looks to be very strong, IT was not. IT had elite quickness, Edwards looks quick, but not IT quick. They are very different players.