Boston Celtics: 2019 NBA Draft grades
By Shea Norling
No. 14 pick: Romeo Langford
The Celtics’ 2018-19 campaign was marred by inconsistent offense from their guards not named Kyrie Irving. Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and Jaylen Brown all struggled to find their shot at times throughout the season, despite mostly thriving defensively.
With Kyrie’s departure all but inevitable, the Celtics are in desperate need of depth at the guard position, which is where Indiana’s Romeo Langford comes in.
Langford exhibits everything you could hope for in a late-lottery guard selection. As a high-upside scorer with exciting length and an excellent ability to create his own shot, the former Hoosier should smoothly transition into Brad Stevens’ offensive scheme.
Romeo Langford's agent, Happy Walters, to the Globe: “I think Smart & Rozier & those guys will toughen him up even more. That mentality, that go 1000 percent that Romeo has will be amplified with the Celtics. I think it’s great. They would’ve been one of my top 2 places for him.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) June 21, 2019
Langford found himself among the best finishers in college basketball last season, converting at the rim with force and exhibiting exciting explosiveness on his dribble-drive opportunities. In addition, he’s extremely efficient at doing something the Celtics struggled greatly with all season: getting to the free throw line.
While he converted only 72 percent of his attempts at the stripe, he was able to amass 6.1 attempts per game on an average workload (26.1 percent usage rate). A lot of criticism has been placed on his shooting splits at .448/.272, but it’s important to remember that Langford underwent surgery for a thumb injury on his shooting hand during the season.
He will certainly need to improve his deep shooting efficiency, which will likely come with health. Nevertheless, Romeo Langford is an elite pick-and-roll threat with a special ability to create his own shot and get to the free throw line. He will certainly be one to watch should he be available for the NBA Summer League.
Grade: B+