2019 NBA Draft: 5 players with steal potential in the first round
By Nick Crain
4. Romeo Langford
Another one-and-done player who could be a huge steal is Romeo Langford out of Indiana. ESPN had Langford as the fifth-highest ranked in his draft class, one slot ahead of Nassir Little. With the ideal frame for a shooting guard at the NBA level, Langford is an exceptional athlete, standing at 6’6″ with an impressive 6’11” wingspan.
As a freshman, he averaged 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 34.1 minutes per game. Langford led the team in scoring, was second in rebounds per game and ranked third in assists. Long story short, he did it all for Indiana as their star freshman. He’s another guard who struggled from deep in college, shooting just 27.2 percent from 3-point range last season.
As a defender, Langford was solid in college, averaging 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, even as a guard. He used his outstanding wingspan to his advantage in guarding multiple positions on the perimeter.
Although he isn’t a great shooter up to this point, Langford is extremely effective at driving to the basket and either scoring in traffic or drawing fouls. He averaged 6.1 free throw attempts per game, which is very impressive in the college style of play.
Langford earned 2018-19 Big Ten All-Freshman teams honors as well as a spot on the 2018-19 All-Big Ten Second Team. In an elite basketball conference, this is extremely impressive. At just 19 years old, Romeo Langford is still very raw. He has the clear potential to make an impact on the defensive end at the NBA level, as well as score the ball at the rim.
If he can improve on his shooting touch, Romeo Langford could prove to be a steal for his draft position. As of now, he is projected to be a mid-to-late first round pick.