Nice Weiss article in the Athletic on Romeo’s defense:
https://theathletic.com/1494955/2019/12/30/romeo-langford-defense/
https://theathletic.com/1494955/2019/12/30/romeo-langford-defense/
“Everybody on this team knows that coach doesn’t really care about how many shots you make and all that,” he said. “He just cares about your motor, your defense and the energy that you bring in when you do get your time to play.”
It’s a lesson players like Tatum have been preaching to him all year long.
“(Tatum) just talked to me on the side and said, ‘We’ve all been through this.’” Langford said. “Him, JB, all them have been that role guy. He just told me to make the best out of it and when you get out there, make stuff happen, do your thing and everything will take care of itself.”
...
“That was one thing I struggled with in Indiana when it came to defense, just being in the right body position all the time for certain things,” Langford said. “But (assistant) coach Joe (Mazzulla) prepares me well for that and takes time to walk through defense for each team that favors a lot of what certain players do. That correlates to the game and helps me be in the right position at the right time.”
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Langford’s even better getting over screens, where he uses a long stride to step over the screen and turn his hips and get downhill without losing speed. Being able to stay on the ballhandler’s hip, especially a quick point guard like Fred Van Vleet, is crucial to forcing the kick out to the near side or contesting the shot without fouling.