Romeo Langford on Celtics offseason makeover, his number change and getting back to his high school days in evolving role

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/08/romeo-langford-on-celtics-offseason-makeover-his-number-change-and-getting-back-to-his-high-school-days-in-evolving-role.html



Romeo Langford on Celtics offseason makeover, his number change and getting back to his high school days in evolving role



Updated 11:56 AM; Today 11:56 AM



Boston Celtics guard Romeo Langford (45) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 11, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)AP


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



LAS VEGAS -- The Celtics Summer League roster is full of intriguing young talent but there may be no player more important from a developmental perspective for Boston next season than Romeo Langford. The 21-year-old has played just 50 games over his first two NBA seasons amid a barrage of injuries and a bout with COVID-19, the combination of which stalled his development over the past two years.

The third-year guard is finally coming off his first healthy offseason since being drafted and opportunity is waiting for 2019 No. 14 overall pick off of Boston’s bench if he shows off some of the offensive upside that made him a lottery pick two years ago. Langford had a strong start in Summer League on that front, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute of Boston’s win over the Hawks in the team’s opener on Sunday. He finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the solid all-around performance.

MassLive.com caught up with Langford in Las Vegas this week to discuss the tumultuous past season for Boston, a host of changes for the franchise this summer and what Langford wants to show now that he’s fully healthy.


MassLive: How has your summer been? How nice has it been to be fully healthy for a change?

Langford: “It’s been good. I’ve just been working a lot, being able to work a lot, doing a lot now. I’m healthy for the first time in like two, three summers. It’s been good, it’s good to get my feet back under me. I’ve been able to get a lot more reps and do a lot more.”


MassLive: I noticed you switched up your number from No. 45 to No. 9 for Summer League. Is that going to be a permanent switch?

Langford: I hope it’s a permanent switch but I don’t know yet. I just wanted a smaller number. I didn’t like how big my number was.


MassLive: How surprising was it to see all the changes this offseason with the front office and coaching staff? Did any of you or your teammates have any sense it was coming?

Langford: We were all surprised. As far as I know, none of us really knew what was going on or what happened. We woke up the next day and found out all the changes were being made. We found out online. I think someone sent me a tweet or something like that. I guess it was change for the better. We got a new coaching staff, new everything so we just go into training camp and build from the ground with Ime and just work hard and follow his rules and we’ll be okay.


MassLive: Have you noticed any real changes with the new coaching staff so far just in terms of what they have you guys focusing on?

Langford: Not huge changes, honestly. It’s relatively all the same. Just different names and stuff that you have to just learn. It’s relatively the same thing because everyone in the NBA runs the same stuff. It’s just a little bit different.


MassLive: You actually played a pretty big role in the final two games of the Nets series once Kemba Walker went down with his knee injury. How big of a confidence boost was that for you to play more on that stage?

Langford: It was good especially since going against those guys for our team, I felt like, even though we lost, we still ended the year on a higher note just because we didn’t back down and give up. We played hard, we played well, we got a game and everyone was expecting us to get swept. We take how we felt from that last (win) and how we played and just translate it over to this season and I feel like we’ll be good. We know what we did wrong, we know what we need to do to improve. Now, it’s just time to translate that from last season on over.


MassLive: You had a strong shooting start to Summer League, going 3-of-7 from 3 on Sunday. Have you made any tweaks to your shooting stroke this offseason?

Langford: I didn’t make any tweaks over the summer. Just more about seeing the ball go through. I’m a lot more comfortable with my shot and I’m getting back to normal with how I was back in high school a little bit. I didn’t make any tweaks with my shot over the summer.


MassLive: The Celtics have said they want you to be more of a secondary ball handler this summer. How tough is making that transition on the fly here and knowing when to pick your spots as a scorer versus distributing?

Langford: It’s kind of tough because I feel like I haven’t done that in a long time. Once I get my legs back and see the things I was used to seeing back in high school and college. It’s like riding a bike, it’s going to come back to me. It is kind of tough because I haven’t done it in a long time or seen it in a long time but I’m going to get back to that.



MassLive: What’s been the dynamic within the team this summer so far? There were some reports that came out after last season of some internal dissension at times. Was there anything to that?

Langford: The conversations are still the same. There was nothing wrong with us last year in the locker room. I don’t know what’s been said, but amongst each other, there has been no problem with us. We’ve always been cool, everyone off the court. It’s still the same, we just lost some guys from last year so now we got to regroup with the new guys and the guys that are coming back and build off of that. It’s really the same, it ain’t nothing much changing or anything like that. We all talk to each other and it’s all cool. Some guys just got traded.


MassLive: What are your thoughts on the new trade additions of Kris Dunn, Josh Richardson and Bruno Fernando?

Langford: I like the new guys. They complement our team and help our team. They got guys they look to build in how they want to guard and how they want the Celtics to play.



Bob
MY NOTE:  A big year for Romeo.  I think if he can just show he can stay healthy that would be huge for him, and us.  Right now everybody looks at him and just sees an entry on an injury list.  He needs to show he can stay on the court.  If his skills aren't quite where they should be for a 3rd year player we can understand that, what with missing 3 summer leagues and a lot of other time, I think people (and GMs who are evaluating our talent) will cut him some slack for that, but he has to show that his injuries are flukes and not evidence of fragility.



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