Pre-Game Rockets

Well, this is one we should definitely win but we've come to learn very quickly this season to apply the no chicken counting rule!!

I'm counting 24 games left for us. Each loss puts us deeper and deeper into the Les Robinson Invitational Series. And possibly, maybe even mercifully out of the playoffs. While I doubt we will lose this game, Houston has nothing to lose and is probably playing like it. "Just have fun! Play like you won't be here next season!" is what Houston management is probably telling the current Rocket roster.

I'm going to predict a competitive game that easily beats the BOS-10.5 spread. Clearly the odds makers have lost their respective minds on this one. Those are the kind of lines you give BKN vs. HOU. Not BOS vs. HOU at our current can't find our asses with both hands/can't get over the losing/winning hump stage.

If we lose this one, then clearly the tank is on. If we win, yeah, it will be just that...a win. Need to see something...anything.

What am I missing? Anyone?

Go Celtics!!

db

No way the tank is going to be on for a Celltics team. We learned our lesson with the ML Carr experiment.

I’m actually expecting us to finish the season strong. The key is ofcourse 2 J’s being efficient, they have loads of 2 way impact/talent. Need them to lead now and get Frenchy involved/off and continued growth of RWill. Would be nice if Romeo could look like the defensive lockdown player he showed flashes of and Nesmith could get a couple plays/3’s off every game too. If we are going to make any run at all in playoffs, J’s need to know they can’t do it all by themselves. Romeo getting minutes with J’s, Smart, RWill should make our too often underachieving defense stronger.

I hope you are right, cowens/oldschool. I really do. I've been snake bitten so many times this season by the PMA cobra I can't see straight, am delirious and on life support!!

db

Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
about 1 hour ago
Romeo Langford should make his 2020-21 debut tonight. Brad Stevens tempered expectations saying he won’t play much initially but here’s how Romeo can make an impact based on last year’s small sample.


https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/how-can-romeo-langford-help-celtics-long-awaited-return



A reminder of how Romeo Langford can help Celtics


MAR 31, 2021

BY CHRIS FORSBERG
CELTICS INSIDER



Romeo Langford has missed so much time during the first 20 months of his professional career that some Boston Celtics fans had started questioning his existence.

But after an extended stay in health and safety protocols -- this after missing the first three months of the 2020-21 season while recovering from the wrist surgery -- Langford could make his 2020-21 season debut as early as Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens has already suggested that Langford will only play in small bursts during the infancy of his return.


"You may be able to throw him in there in one of these upcoming games at home for a couple minutes at a time, but that's about it," Stevens noted.

So what exactly can Langford do to help this Celtics team find the consistency it has so sorely lacked this season?


Winging it

The Celtics have spent much of the season thin on wing depth behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, something that could have afforded Langford an opportunity to really shine had he been available. The Celtics added some depth with the recent acquisition of Evan Fournier but there’s still room for Langford to contribute.

The 21-year-old brings a 6-foot-6 body with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. It was his defensive capabilities that endeared him to Stevens a year ago and helped him muscle into the rotation late in the year.

Langford played only 370 regular-season minutes over 32 games last season but did a nice job defending smaller players. According to the NBA’s matchup data, Langford spent 63.1 percent of his time defending guards and, over 330 partial possessions, limited those players to 33.3 percent shooting, including just 24.2 percent shooting beyond the 3-point arc.


Backcourt bully

Opposing guards' FG% vs. Langford last season = 33.3%
Opposing guards' 3P% vs. Langford last season = 24.2%

Overall, the NBA’s defensive data had Langford holding opponents to 40.4 percent shooting, or 4.2 percent below expectation -- a rather stellar number, especially for a rookie. Langford also had an exceptional block rate, one that ranked him in the 93rd percentile among all wing players in that small sample, according to data from Cleaning the Glass.

Langford logged just 46 minutes during the playoffs but his defensive statistics again were excellent in that tiny sample. Opponents shot just 18.8 percent (3 of 16 overall) against him.

It was telling that Stevens had the confidence to deploy Langford in the Eastern Conference finals before a groin strain forced him back off the court and the team sent him home to Boston to undergo wrist surgery knowing he’d need up to a five-month recovery.


Offensive potential

While defense was the key to Langford’s rookie playing time, his offensive potential was the reason he was a lottery pick when Boston landing him at No. 14 in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Langford thrived as a ball-handler in the pick-and-roll at Indiana and, even before he cracked the rotation last season, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would often gush about what he saw from Langford operating in the pick-and-roll during practices.

Langford didn’t log enough possessions as a pick-and-roll ball-handler a year ago to even spot on the league’s tracking data. He struggled as a perimeter shooter, something the team has worked hard to develop while he’s been sidelined. (You might remember the stories about the team strapping a ping pong paddle to his hand during shooting drills during his rookie campaign).

In his lone season at Indiana University, Langford shot 44.8 percent from the field overall but just 27.2 percent from 3-point range. With time and development the Celtics hope he can become a more consistent catch-and-shoot option, especially in the corners. But for now, the team should try to put the ball in his hands at times when running with reserve-heavy groups.

Langford operated with excellent ball security last season and he ranked in the 90th percentile in turnover percentage among wings. That number will spike a bit the more he handles the ball but it’s an encouraging sign that he can be that steady as a 20-year-old rookie. His probing abilities should create better shots for him and his teammates.

Langford seems to know where his best shots come from, too. Last season, 46 percent of his shots came within four feet of the basket, per Cleaning The Glass. Another 21 percent came between four and 14 feet. The majority of his 3-point attempts were corner looks (though he was just 3 of 12 overall on those shots).


Impacts Winning

Here’s the most important part: Langford positively impacted team play whenever he was on the court last season. The Celtics had a net rating of plus-8.9 in his floor time, including a defensive rating of 102.2 in that span. Considering many of his stints were late-game trash time, that might be an even more remarkable number.

What’s more, it persisted in the postseason. Langford had a plus-8.3 net rating in his 46 minutes, with the team posting a defensive rating of 99 when he was on the court (or 7.3 points lower per 100 possessions than their playoff average).

Boston’s offensive and defensive ratings both ranked in the 90th percentile or better when Langford was on the court last season. Or, to put it another way, Cleaning the Glass’ Expected Wins projection suggests Boston would win 70 out of 82 games if they maintained the numbers the team produced during Langford’s floor time last year.


Good luck charm?

Celtics' win % with Langford in lineup (reg. season) = 77.8%
Celtics' win % with Langford in lineup (postseason) = 85.7%

Again, let’s remember it’s a very small sample size at play here. But we saw enough to be intrigued by how Langford could positively impact the team. It’s why we pegged him as our potential biggest surprise for the 2020-21 season.

“If everything goes well, you’re going to see a completely different Romeo from last year,” Langford told us before the season. "Just a healthy Romeo. I feel like the best Romeo is going to be out there and doing the things that he’s capable of -- what I was doing in college, what I was doing in high school. A completely different Romeo.”

The Celtics don’t need a completely different Romeo. They need one that can add depth to their bench and positively impact winning like he did when he got chances a year ago. Anything else is a bonus with hopes that he can continue to evolve into a more steady two-way contributor moving forward.


Bob
MY NOTE:  It's pretty scary that we're talking up a player that can't stay healthy.  On the other hand my eyes agree with what Forsberg is saying, and is laying out the stats to back up:  Romeo's got game.  Brad has said that Romeo "has a natural feel for the game".  That's what I saw too, he has a nose for the ball and he always seemed to be around the action.  His defense was quite good, especially for a rook, while his outside shooting was his weakness.  He's a slasher, and we need more of those, in my opinion, and fewer "stand at the arc and wait for the ball to come to you" players.  I'm not saying Romeo has what it takes to be a floor general, an offensive facilitator, but Step One is to drive the paint and force the defense to commit to something, and that's something Romeo has shown an ability and a willingness to do.

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Good article. Can someone explain the ping-pong paddle drill and what it accomplishes in this context? Thank you!

db

dbrown4 wrote:Good article.  Can someone explain the ping-pong paddle drill and what it accomplishes in this context?  Thank you!

db

Just a guess.

Imagine a ping pong paddle strapped to the back of your hand. You can no longer stretch your hand back to about 90 degrees. Now every shot starts with the wrist straight and allows forward movement from there.

Maybe they say too much movement in his wrist and wanted to reset his muscle memory.

Just a guess.

Nope, It was on the front of his hand:

According to summer league head coach Scott Morrison, the paddle is being used to keep his left thumb off the ball.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/celtics-romeo-langford-ping-pong-paddle

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/07/boston-celtics-rookie-romeo-langford-shoots-in-practice-with-ping-pong-paddle-to-work-on-form-video.html

https://nesn.com/2019/07/romeo-langford-shoots-with-ping-pong-paddle-on-hand-at-celtics-practice/

I would think that, if you're trying to make a player shoot with their wrist more and their arm less, limiting the range of motion of their wrist would be counterproductive.  Something that prevents the elbow from bending > 90 degrees from a straight arm, so they can't get as much arm into their shot, might work better.


Bob


.

Excellent! Thank you both!!

db

Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
about 22 minutes ago
Celtics have downgraded Romeo Langford to OUT for “post health & safety protocols reconditioning.” Jelly Legs still in effect.


Bob
MY NOTE:  Ok, now this makes it sound like Romeo actually had COVID.  If you're just being withheld due to contact tracing but aren't experiencing any symptoms, or maybe not even testing positive, then I don't see any reason why you can't get on a stationary bike or run around the gym and maintain your conditioning as long as you stay away from everybody else.  If, however, you have COVID and you are symptomatic, or are being told to sit out of an abundance of medical caution, then I can see legs and wind going.

This also makes me wonder about Tristan.  What's up with him?  If he was COVID-negative then why isn't he out of protocol and running suicides?

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dbrown4 wrote:Well, this is one we should definitely win but we've come to learn very quickly this season to apply the no chicken counting rule!!  

I'm counting 24 games left for us.  Each loss puts us deeper and deeper into the Les Robinson Invitational Series.  And possibly, maybe even mercifully out of the playoffs.  While I doubt we will lose this game, Houston has nothing to lose and is probably playing like it. "Just have fun!  Play like you won't be here next season!" is what Houston management is probably telling the current Rocket roster.  

I'm going to predict a competitive game that easily beats the BOS-10.5 spread.  Clearly the odds makers have lost their respective minds on this one.  Those are the kind of lines you give BKN vs. HOU.  Not BOS vs. HOU at our current can't find our asses with both hands/can't get over the losing/winning hump stage.  

If we lose this one, then clearly the tank is on.  If we win, yeah, it will be just that...a win.  Need to see something...anything.

What am I missing?  Anyone?  

Go Celtics!!

db  

That Rockets management truly would love to see their team get their ass kicked but there are players out there playing for their jobs and some for their NBA lives. The C’s need to see it that way and approach this team like they are the 6ers or Lakers.

https://www.espn.com/nba/injuries

Romeo Langford SG
Apr 2 Out
Langford (conditioning) is unavailable for Friday's game against the Rockets.

Tristan Thompson C
Apr 1 Out
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said that Thompson (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) will take a cardiac test Friday with the hope of gaining clearance to return to game action next week, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston reports.

So, did they both have COVID-19?

That would help for sure, Ktron!

db

I really don't understand how Romeo is being managed medically. A big puzzle with pieces that don't fit. So today, 23 days after Romeo entered Covid protocol, he is still not playing, and TT is out still also. If these guys had Covid - which would have been detected day 1 since they are tested daily - then immediate proper treatment would have squashed all symptoms. Apparently the Celts are not getting immediate proper treatment if debilitating symptoms - as Jayson developed - occur.

My frustration with the Romeo situation continues, especially since I do think he will emerge as a really fine player for us.

Tristan must have had a full blown infection if he's getting a cardiac test. Probably Romeo too.

Yeah, that particular test even caught my medically-challenged eye!!

db

dbrown4 wrote:Yeah, that particular test even caught my medically-challenged eye!!

db

dbrown,

There are glasses that will help that. Go for the green-tinted ones...


Bob


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bobheckler wrote:

dbrown4 wrote:Yeah, that particular test even caught my medically-challenged eye!!

db

dbrown,

There are glasses that will help that.  Go for the green-tinted ones...


Bob


.

I got a pair, but no spare.

db

We just need a win. There is no tanking. Danny would not have added EF if he was in tanking state of mind.

This team may be in a basketball state of purgatory but that just means full redemption is a possibility.

Let's go Celtics!