Boston Celtics’ ‘super talented’ rookie Romeo Langford is making his case for extended minutes

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/12/boston-celtics-super-talented-rookie-romeo-langford-is-making-his-case-for-extended-minutes-tom-westerholm.html



Boston Celtics’ ‘super talented’ rookie Romeo Langford is making his case for extended minutes



Today 10:46 AM




Boston Celtics' Romeo Langford (45) plays against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Boston, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)


By Tom Westerholm | twesterh@masslive.com



BOSTON -- For months, as Romeo Langford battled a head-shaking variety of injuries, all Boston Celtics media and fans heard about the rookie were glowing reviews from his teammates of his performance in practice.

“I remember when he had his first practice, I could see how good he is, how strong he is, how physical he is,” Javonte Green said. “I feel like he’s going to progress well and mature well.”


“He’s super talented,” Jayson Tatum added. “We’ve all seen him a lot in practice."

Now those of us who can’t see behind Brad Stevens’ practice curtain have a better idea what Langford’s teammates mean. Sunday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets wasn’t his first appearance in an NBA game, and his eight points weren’t his first NBA field goals. But Langford hit a pair of 3-pointers and stuck with a layup through multiple attempts, tallying eight points. Defensively, he showed real flashes, and he pulled down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

A late December game against a borderline lottery team felt like an emergence of sorts for the 2019 lottery pick.

“His defense was excellent today,” Brad Stevens said. "You can go back and you can watch the Dallas game, it’s night and day what three games of experience will do for you. ... He’s a very versatile wing defender, he got his hands on some balls. He chased people off screens, and he played really hard. Obviously knocking down those shots was nice, but I was encouraged by Romeo’s play all weekend.”


Plenty of Celtics fans seemed ready to declare Langford a bust after he missed extended time with a variety of injuries. The name “James Young” has been thrown around liberally, which was always a lazy comparison -- Young was mostly a spot-up shooter (who could only kind of shoot in college), whereas Langford was a do-everything wing at Indiana with phenomenal touch finishing around the rim and a good sense of how to run an NBA pick-and-roll. The former is the archetype of a player who washes out of the league relatively quickly if he doesn’t hit shots early. The latter is the type of player NBA teams pursue enthusiastically in the modern game, especially with some reasonable polish on a 3-point shot.

Speaking of which ...

“I feel a lot more comfortable (shooting),” Langford said after Sunday’s game. “It feels natural now. I mean, I shoot a lot all the time now, and I feel like it’s paying off and it’s working.”

Langford has been working on that shot with Celtics assistant Joe Mazzulla, a Rhode Island native who played for West Virginia in college before entering the coaching ranks at Fairmont State. Mazzulla has patiently helped the 20-year-old re-work his jumper, coaxing his guide hand off the ball and convincing him to stop cocking the ball back over his head so far.


The result: A much smoother release, and a jumper that even a previously skeptical Langford admits is preferable.


Boston Celtics

@celtics
Romeo with another triple  

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1208910549393625089
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9:41 PM - Dec 22, 2019


“At first, I was like, ‘They don’t know what they’re talking about,’” Langford said, smiling. “But I bought into it because I didn’t shoot the ball that well last year, as you can see. But I just bought in and just kept taking it day-by-day, seeing it improve. And now, where it’s at, I can’t be mad about changing it.”

Mazzulla believes Langford has benefited over the last few weeks from some semblance of consistency, a real issue in the first few months of his career (through no fault of his own).

“This is the first time in a long time where he’s 100 percent healthy and he’s here, just working,” Mazzulla said. “He’s developing a routine, he likes his routine, and it’s just a matter of just chipping away at it. And I think he’s really bought into that.”

Discussing the elephant in the room feels premature, but still: If Langford is ready to contribute, how do the Celtics get him on the court? Boston looks like a contender based on its wing depth even if Langford doesn’t play another minute this year. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both look like All-Stars. Gordon Hayward has had injury issues, but when he takes the floor, he’s back to his previous form -- also an All-Star. After thousands of hours of work, Semi Ojeleye finally appears to have found the range on his 3-point range, and his defense makes him difficult to pull from the rotation. Javonte Green gives a ton of effort on the defensive end as well, and he’s a better offensive player than the Tony Allen comparisons would lead one to believe.


So where does Langford fit in? It’s hard to say, but his talent is obvious. So far, his biggest contributions have been on the defensive end and as an off-ball threat -- spacing the floor and attacking closeouts. That role could easily expand, since Langford’s real strength (which Stevens has hinted at on multiple occasions) is his feel in the pick-and-roll at his size.

“He might not get to play as much when we have our full roster,” Stevens said. “But I think what this does is it gives you a great comfort if you have to throw him in there for an extended period of time, he’s going to do exactly what we need to do.”

For now, Langford’s role may be pure luxury for the Celtics -- an effective option in case of injuries and a spot rotation player as he gains confidence.

But Stevens might face a familiar (and presumably welcome) problem soon: A glut of talented young wings all vying for minutes and opportunities.

“It feels good to just be able to play basketball again,” Langford said. “Not having to sit on the sideline in a dress coat and watching them play. I’m just happy and blessed that I’m able to play now and I’ve just got to keep taking care of my body and take it day by day.”

Langford was asked if the NBA game feels fast, a common theme from players just entering the league.

“It’s not that fast at all,” he said. “I feel like the G-League is faster than out there. I thought it was going to be a lot faster, but nah.”

So maybe don’t write him off just yet.


bob

Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
about 4 hours ago
During Romeo Langford's 23 minutes on Sunday night, the #Celtics allowed a team-low 71 points per 100 possessions. Brad Stevens on the rookie: "His defense was excellent."


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