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Boston Celtics: Redrafting the last decade of first round picks

By Reston Kaufman

BOSTON - JUNE 24: From left, Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, draft picks Carsen Edwards, Grant Williams, Romeo Langford, and Tremont Waters, and General Manager Danny Ainge take part in an introductory press conference at the Auerbach Center in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston on June 24, 2019. (Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - JUNE 24: From left, Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, draft picks Carsen Edwards, Grant Williams, Romeo Langford, and Tremont Waters, and General Manager Danny Ainge take part in an introductory press conference at the Auerbach Center in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston on June 24, 2019. (Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Boston Celtics Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images /

Original pick: Romeo Langford

New pick: Brandon Clarke

Romeo Langford came out of college inscribed with the label ‘project’ attached. Langford has the ideal frame for the modern NBA, with his 6’11” wingspan and lateral quickness, but to become a consistent producer, Langford needs to find a consistent shot. After shooting just 27 percent from 3 in his lone season with the Hoosiers, every team knew this would be a potential issue.

In the G-League this season, Langford has already shown some promise, especially, in his ability to find lanes; however, as a score-first guard, he needs to extend his game to the 3-point arc.

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He also was sidelined for most of the summer league, which was his best chance at getting a roster spot, with a thumb injury, further halting his shot transformation. Additionally, Langford suffered knee and groin injuries in the summer. Because of the lack of NBA competition, and the many holes in his game, Langford was forced to spend the majority of the season in the G-league.

This season, with the Celtics, he has only played 27 games, scoring 2.6 points a game, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists on very mediocre efficiency, especially from 3 (shooting five for 23 this season). Still, there is no doubt the 20-year-old rookie has tons of potential. But even if he suddenly becomes a big scorer, Langford likely doesn’t have a place on the Celtics as long as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are on the roster.

Seven picks later, a Gonzaga junior named, Brandon Clarke, became the 21st pick in the draft. The defensive anchor was mostly an off-ball offensive threat, who relied on his athletism on both sides of the ball.

The Celtics in need of big man depth, specifically a scorer coming off the bench, have the perfect answer in Clarke. In Memphis, where Clarke has already carved out a substantial role in the lineup and has unostentatiously become a dark horse rookie of the year candidate.

In his one and only season with Memphis, Clarke has scored 12 points per game, while playing 21.7 minutes a night. He has done so on incredible efficiency, not to mention his success defensively. Clarke has even become a playmaker of sorts on the Grizzlies this season. Although he likely would not have a role as large on the Celtics, he helps with some of the Celtics’ biggest weaknesses and fits right into their style of play. There is no doubt that Clarke would have immediately been a positive influence on the Celtics.

Romeo Langford was not the only first-round pick from 2019 however. Grant Williams has already seemed to make an impact on and off the court, as a lovable hard worker. Was he the best option for the Celtics though?

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