Romeo Langford - Pick #14

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I can't seem to find the statistics, but in the Mike Schmitz video posted above, he said that Langford shot 66 percent at the rim last season, and that was on a poor-shooting Indiana team were teams could pack the paint against him. That seems like it could be an elite skill for him.
This article says that he took 118 non post-up shots at the rim and made 63.6% of them, which was in the 87th percentile: https://www.hothothoops.com/2019/6/19/18691378/2019-nba-draft-profile-deeper-look-indiana-hoosiers-romeo-langford-miami-heat.
 

bakahump

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Thanks @JakeRae that was the thrust of my post.

The Next question is how often are "really good" no shooting skills (RLs driving ability for instance) mistaken for Elite level skills in a prospect? And are they as certain to translate.

IOW shooting skills are pretty easy to see. For instance consistently hitting 20 footers should translate to the NBA. Its like the Hoosiers quip..."The hoop is still 10 feet high and the diameter is still 18 inches and 20 feet is still 20 feet".

But skills like penetrating and shooting at the rim, rebounding and defense....are those more difficult to project because he was going against college players?


I guess the only other thing that makes me feel better about RL is that he is also still really young. If this was him at 21 I would be really bummed.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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I kinda love how, in a billion dollar industry, the trainer tapes a ping pong paddle to the first round picks hand to work on technique.
 

lovegtm

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I kinda love how, in a billion dollar industry, the trainer tapes a ping pong paddle to the first round picks hand to work on technique.
But knowing which commonly found household implement to tape to your pick's hand? That's why they get paid the big bucks.
 

Green (Tongued) Monster

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This makes me feel really old. I remember Joe when he was 2 years old trying to dribble a ball around Rainone Gym in Johnston, RI. Shit, I remember being told that he was conceived!! FML.
I was thinking the same thing when I saw the picture, but you have me beat. I graduated from WVU a few years before him. He was one of my favorite players to watch during his time there, especially during their final four run in 2010. I remember that he ran the baseline in Huggins' very successful 1-3-1 defense and was an absolute menace.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I was thinking the same thing when I saw the picture, but you have me beat. I graduated from WVU a few years before him. He was one of my favorite players to watch during his time there, especially during their final four run in 2010. I remember that he ran the baseline in Huggins' very successful 1-3-1 defense and was an absolute menace.
Yup he was one tough bastard. You are what your upbringing is.....and growing up bi-racial in what was at the time one of the toughest Italian neighborhoods around will make you tough.
 

DJnVa

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https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/12/boston-celtics-teammates-staffers-love-quirky-ride-hitching-coach-tweaking-romeo-langford.html
One of Langford’s most pressing issues is his 3-point shot, which has been a point of emphasis since the offseason. When he shoots with Mazzulla, Langford constantly takes his first shot with his old form -- thumb on the ball, wrist flicking forward -- then grins at Mazzulla, waiting for a response.

“It’s little stuff like that that I appreciate and I think is funny,” Mazzulla said, smiling. “But he does that -- if he’s making 100 shots, 10 of them he shoots just to piss me off.”
 

lovegtm

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After watching that game, I want no part in selling low on Langford. Not because of offense, but because he was really competing defensively and has great tools there. If he follows the Tatum plan, and returns himself into a guy who is always there defensively, regardless of touches, that significantly changes who he can be as a player.
 

Jimbodandy

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After watching that game, I want no part in selling low on Langford. Not because of offense, but because he was really competing defensively and has great tools there. If he follows the Tatum plan, and returns himself into a guy who is always there defensively, regardless of touches, that significantly changes who he can be as a player.
Yep. SSS and all, but he showed me more defense than I expected. He was a right pain in the ass on ball and gets into passing lanes as well. I didn't really see any of that in G league minutes, but nobody fucking plays defense there.

I'd include him in a trade, but my expectations have gone up a little. I was encouraged that he took a 3, even though it's unlikely to be a weapon for him for a while. He could steal Green's minutes and some of Semi's generic wing minutes.
 

lovegtm

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Yep. SSS and all, but he showed me more defense than I expected. He was a right pain in the ass on ball and gets into passing lanes as well. I didn't really see any of that in G league minutes, but nobody fucking plays defense there.

I'd include him in a trade, but my expectations have gone up a little. I was encouraged that he took a 3, even though it's unlikely to be a weapon for him for a while. He could steal Green's minutes and some of Semi's generic wing minutes.
1. (not directed at you) SSS gets thrown around a lot, but it's important to separate it into things that have high variance, and things that have low/none. If you see JaVonte Green dunk, you would never say that you want to see 100 more dunks before you can determine his True Dunk Aptitude Rating. Romeo showed some stuff defensively that wasn't really variance based at all, and showed that he's been really paying attention to that end through the injuries.

2. I'm fine trading almost anyone--when I say "sell low", I mean using him as an Ante Zizic-type throw-in. The Celtics record developing athletic wings on defense is quite strong now, and you'd want Langford to flash enough of that for other teams that he's valued at or above his draft slot in a deal. (Unless, of course, the team is internally really low on him, as they presumably were with Zizic.)
 

Jimbodandy

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1. (not directed at you) SSS gets thrown around a lot, but it's important to separate it into things that have high variance, and things that have low/none. If you see JaVonte Green dunk, you would never say that you want to see 100 more dunks before you can determine his True Dunk Aptitude Rating. Romeo showed some stuff defensively that wasn't really variance based at all, and showed that he's been really paying attention to that end through the injuries.

2. I'm fine trading almost anyone--when I say "sell low", I mean using him as an Ante Zizic-type throw-in. The Celtics record developing athletic wings on defense is quite strong now, and you'd want Langford to flash enough of that for other teams that he's valued at or above his draft slot in a deal. (Unless, of course, the team is internally really low on him, as they presumably were with Zizic.)
Agree on both counts.

Anyone on the "Romeo is a bust" bandwagon is an uninformed moron. Those are the people who see him as a throw in. We don't know what he is yet.

As far as SSS, I agree in principle. What I meant was that I don't know enough about Romeo as a person/player to feel confident that what we saw in defensive energy and focus last night is his thing or a courtship thing. Is that part of his DNA?

You correctly point out that those skills (and the waltzing to the rim) are there for sure. We saw them. This is not "can that guy go 5 for 7 from 3 every night" SSS questions. I just don't know much about his motor. If that's him, that's fantastic. That's what I meant anyway.
 

lovegtm

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Agree on both counts.

Anyone on the "Romeo is a bust" bandwagon is an uninformed moron. Those are the people who see him as a throw in. We don't know what he is yet.

As far as SSS, I agree in principle. What I meant was that I don't know enough about Romeo as a person/player to feel confident that what we saw in defensive energy and focus last night is his thing or a courtship thing. Is that part of his DNA?

You correctly point out that those skills (and the waltzing to the rim) are there for sure. We saw them. This is not "can that guy go 5 for 7 from 3 every night" SSS questions. I just don't know much about his motor. If that's him, that's fantastic. That's what I meant anyway.
Sure, that makes sense. I'm fairly optimistic on Langford just because if you compare him to big talents on lottery teams (like Cleveland's young guards)...can you find as many good defensive clips as Langford had in their whole season?

The Celtics do a good job of getting young wings to buy into "forget about your shot: if you play defense within the scheme, you'll see minutes." We forget that Tatum (the 21 year-old defensive wrecking ball who's generating most of his value at that end) was considered a meh defensive prospect in the Carmelo mold.

Agree it's early, but I'm going to get out ahead of the curve and buy Langford stock after last night.
 

DannyDarwinism

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Yeah, he showed the soft touch and savvy in changing speeds to into the lane that make him a promising scorer, but the it was his quick feet, anticipation, and lateral movement on D that really stood out. Definitely a game to build on for him.
 

BigSoxFan

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There’s certainly enough here to be intrigued. Romeo fulfilling even his mid case potential would be huge for this team.
 

benhogan

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I'd be surprised if Romeo was dealt, unless a bunch of injuries happened to other contenders and a win-now deal fell on their lap.

Agree that it's his defense that will get him 10mpg of low-leverage time within the Celtics new approach to player development.

Have Romeo caddy for Tatum/Brown for a couple of seasons. He's pretty solidly built for a 20yr old, get him addicted to the weight room. Send him to Pure Sweat in the summer. He or Grant should be ready to take over for Hayward in 2022.
 

lovegtm

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I'd be surprised if Romeo was dealt, unless a bunch of injuries happened to other contenders and a win-now deal fell on their lap.

Agree that it's his defense that will get him 10mpg of low-leverage time within the Celtics new approach to player development.

Have Romeo caddy for Tatum/Brown for a couple of seasons. He's pretty solidly built for a 20yr old, get him addicted to the weight room. Send him to Pure Sweat in the summer. He or Grant should be ready to take over for Hayward in 2022.
To be fair, the bolded is how they've dealt with guys like him for awhile, not just this year.
 

benhogan

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To be fair, the bolded is how they've dealt with guys like him for awhile, not just this year.
figured I'd get push back there. I've never seen Brad hand out so many minutes to mid/late first, 2nd round rookies in a season. It may be due to the sheer number of rookies we have on the roster BUT Carsen/Grant got plenty of PT when they were less than stellar. Now I expect Romeo to get even more minutes then Carsen. AND after January we will probably get a decent dose of Edwards/Waters when Brad turns down Kemba/JT/JB minutes in the 2nd half of the season.
 

Cesar Crespo

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figured I'd get push back there. I've never seen Brad hand out so many minutes to mid/late first, 2nd round rookies in a season. It may be due to the sheer number of rookies we have on the roster BUT Carsen/Grant got plenty of PT when they were less than stellar. Now I expect Romeo to get even more minutes then Carsen. AND after January we will probably get a decent dose of Edwards/Waters when Brad turns down Kemba/JT/JB minutes in the 2nd half of the season.
Semi says hi. You have seen it plenty, you just aren't remembering it.
 

lovegtm

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figured I'd get push back there. I've never seen Brad hand out so many minutes to mid/late first, 2nd round rookies in a season. It may be due to the sheer number of rookies we have on the roster BUT Carsen/Grant got plenty of PT when they were less than stellar. Now I expect Romeo to get even more minutes then Carsen. AND after January we will probably get a decent dose of Edwards/Waters when Brad turns down Kemba/JT/JB minutes in the 2nd half of the season.
Rozier averaged 8/game his rookie year, Brown 17. Langford is pretty similar to Brown in terms of his overall pedigree and even draft slot (Brown had a chance to fall quite far if the Celtics don't take him at #3). Obviously this team is a lot deeper than the one Jaylen entered on, but the approach seems in keeping with with other lottery/mid 1st guys prior. (And, as noted, Semi).

I actually don't disagree with your premise that something feels a bit different this year in terms of eschewing vets on the bench and emphasizing development, but Langford would be getting minutes on any iteration of the Celtics if he's not a total stiff like Yabu.
 

mauf

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Thinking about the 12-man roster for the playoffs:

— Kemba/Jaylen/Tatum/GH/Theis is your starting five.

— Smart and Kanter will play as many minutes as the starters.

— Time Lord and Wanamaker are also part of the rotation.

— Semi is useful enough in some matchups to nail down a roster spot.

So if everyone’s healthy and no one is added to the roster, that leaves two spots — probably one big (GWill or Poirier) and one wing. Romeo would seem to have the inside track on that wing spot.

Given the work he’s doing on his shot, I think Romeo needs reps more than he needs experience against NBA competition, so I’d send him back to Portland once GH and Smart are healthy.
 

lovegtm

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Thinking about the 12-man roster for the playoffs:

— Kemba/Jaylen/Tatum/GH/Theis is your starting five.

— Smart and Kanter will play as many minutes as the starters.

— Time Lord and Wanamaker are also part of the rotation.

— Semi is useful enough in some matchups to nail down a roster spot.

So if everyone’s healthy and no one is added to the roster, that leaves two spots — probably one big (GWill or Poirier) and one wing. Romeo would seem to have the inside track on that wing spot.

Given the work he’s doing on his shot, I think Romeo needs reps more than he needs experience against NBA competition, so I’d send him back to Portland once GH and Smart are healthy.
I can't see Grant not being there. I also can't see Poirier being there: Brad clearly thinks he's trash (had tons of chances to give him minutes, avoided it except in the most garbage of garbage time).

Agree Romeo is the most likely final guy, health permitting. I'd actually prefer to get him defensive reps, so I'd be good with him on the roster a lot this year. Even if they're healthy from January (FAR from a guarantee, as we've seen), Brad has signaled that there will be a lot of planned rest.
 

benhogan

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Rozier averaged 8/game his rookie year, Brown 17. Langford is pretty similar to Brown in terms of his overall pedigree and even draft slot (Brown had a chance to fall quite far if the Celtics don't take him at #3). Obviously this team is a lot deeper than the one Jaylen entered on, but the approach seems in keeping with with other lottery/mid 1st guys prior. (And, as noted, Semi).

I actually don't disagree with your premise that something feels a bit different this year in terms of eschewing vets on the bench and emphasizing development, but Langford would be getting minutes on any iteration of the Celtics if he's not a total stiff like Yabu.
I guess we could parse the numbers, usage, draft status, team contention, the health of players in front of rookies, etc BUT that probably wouldn't tell us much.

Agreed. It's more of a "feel thing":
1. 7 rookies on the 17 man and they waited until the last day to let another rookie go in Max Strus.
2. Young guys like Tatum/Brown are their go-to wings.
3. lightly experienced NBA players like Theis, Wanamaker, Semi are key role/bench players.

The Celtics are the youngest team in the NBA, it seems/feels like these Celtics are different in regards to embracing young player development than in the past. YMMV
 
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Imbricus

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The Celtics are the youngest team in the NBA
Actually it looks like Phoenix is the youngest team with an avg. age of 24.49. Six teams are less than a 25, at least according to the NBA's roster survey. The avg. age for Boston was 25.09. (League avg. was 26.18, with Houston (30.24), Lakers and Milwaukee being the oldest).

Interestingly though, the Celts have the least seasoned roster, with an average of only 2.73 years of experience (NBA avg. is 4.59). I guess that makes sense with so many rookies. This should have a nice upside: these young guys should develop nicely, and on relatively cheap contracts to boot.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I guess we could parse the numbers, usage, draft status, team contention, the health of players in front of rookies, etc BUT that probably wouldn't tell us much.

Agreed. It's more of a "feel thing":
1. 7 rookies on the 17 man and they waited until the last day to let another rookie go in Max Strus.
2. Young guys like Tatum/Brown are their go-to wings.
3. lightly experienced NBA players like Theis, Wanamaker, Semi are key role/bench players.

The Celtics are the youngest team in the NBA, it seems/feels like these Celtics are different in regards to embracing young player development than in the past. YMMV
I think it's as simple as they have all these draft picks and they can play. Danny has been on kind of a roll lately.
 

nighthob

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What I meant was that I don't know enough about Romeo as a person/player to feel confident that what we saw in defensive energy and focus last night is his thing or a courtship thing. Is that part of his DNA?
The rap on Langford was never about effort and always about shooting. And his shooting woes in college were exacerbated by a broken finger that he just kept playing through. Prior to his college season he was regarded as a surefire top 8 selection and a possible top 5 one.
 

bowiac

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The rap on Langford was never about effort and always about shooting. And his shooting woes in college were exacerbated by a broken finger that he just kept playing through. Prior to his college season he was regarded as a surefire top 8 selection and a possible top 5 one.
I don't know that effort was the concern, but I certainly heard "basketball IQ" type questions about him, that he was a bit lost on the court. Being unable to shoot was just the cherry on top. I didn't watch him in college at all, so can't speak to those issues myself of course. From his nbadraft.net profile:

Weaknesses: Doesn’t always look fully engaged in the game and intensity level seems to come and go … He struggles shooting the three-point shot … He only hit on 27% of his 3 pointers last year, while taking almost four a game … Decision making needs work … He is prone to taking shooting questionable shots at times … He needs to improve his free throw shooting … He shot 72% but improving upon it will add to his point totals … He’s not an explosive athlete … At times his defensive effort can be lagging
 

lovegtm

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I don't know that effort was the concern, but I certainly heard "basketball IQ" type questions about him, that he was a bit lost on the court. Being unable to shoot was just the cherry on top. I didn't watch him in college at all, so can't speak to those issues myself of course. From his nbadraft.net profile:
Yeah, this is why I was so encouraged/surprised when I finally got to see him play. I knew the scouting report on him in terms of effort/engagement defensively, and he looked like a totally different guy.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I didn't really see any of that in G league minutes, but nobody fucking plays defense there.
I saw the opening game against DE (took my kid to see Tacko) and thought Romeo was trying hard. He was also matched up against Zaire Smith so I was paying attention. He was down in his stance, trying to fight through screens. On ball defense wasn't that successful (in that game Waters played Smith better) but he a couple of help side blocks and a chase down block that showed his athleticism. Think the plays are in the highlights of that game in the game thread.

He's an incredibly deceptive athlete I think.
 

amarshal2

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I think it's as simple as they have all these draft picks and they can play. Danny has been on kind of a roll lately.
Right. This isn’t that complex. It’s not about this being some special development year or change in philosophy.

1) the Celtics also watched summer league and preseason and started the season with a ton of confidence in Carsen and Grant. Grant has mostly justified it. Carsen has struggled more than expected. People that lump those two in with other draft picks in the first or second round who haven’t panned out are being disingenuous
2) it’s an inexperienced team so inexperienced guys have to play

Romeo has the highest ceiling but they clearly don’t have the same level of confidence in him yet. They had that confidence in the other guys.
 
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Jimbodandy

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I saw the opening game against DE (took my kid to see Tacko) and thought Romeo was trying hard. He was also matched up against Zaire Smith so I was paying attention. He was down in his stance, trying to fight through screens. On ball defense wasn't that successful (in that game Waters played Smith better) but he a couple of help side blocks and a chase down block that showed his athleticism. Think the plays are in the highlights of that game in the game thread.

He's an incredibly deceptive athlete I think.
Now that you mention it, I remember some nice defensive highlight plays. I was thinking about his engagement in this most recent game. Consistent on ball stuff plus bothering passing lanes. Not that weakside blocks aren't good stuff too, but this stood out more to me.

Definitely see his athleticism. He can move his feet on both ends.
 
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TripleOT

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I've commented a few times about his penchant for injury, but I liked what I saw from him at the Detroit game. I was surprised when he popped off the bench as the first wing substitution. Romeo looked like he belonged out there. Hopefully, he can stay healthy and build off this first run.
 

nighthob

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He's an incredibly deceptive athlete I think.
He gets dinged, I think, for the way he moves. He glides rather than explodes, and so people think he’s coasting. But it’s really just how he moves. People had the same impression of Tatum for that same reason. He doesn’t look explosive when he’s covering ground, but he covers it just the same.
 

lovegtm

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He gets dinged, I think, for the way he moves. He glides rather than explodes, and so people think he’s coasting. But it’s really just how he moves. People had the same impression of Tatum for that same reason. He doesn’t look explosive when he’s covering ground, but he covers it just the same.
Yeah, I mean neither of them is Jaylen Brown (who is a freak among freaks), but they're very good athletes. Langford also (like Tatum) has go-go-gadget arms, which really helps in terms of defensive potential and potential to finish. We saw it with that layup where he just dumped it right over Drummond.
 

BigSoxFan

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What’s the consensus on Langford’s ceiling? If everything goes well like with Tatum and Brown, what do we think we have here?
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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What’s the consensus on Langford’s ceiling? If everything goes well like with Tatum and Brown, what do we think we have here?
The most common comparison if Langford hits his potential is DeRozen, but that's only because Romeo didn't shoot well from 3P in college. But if you include becoming a league average 3P shooter, you're going to have an All-Star.

At IU, Langford shot 66% on shots in the paint, which when I read this is usually prefaced by the word "ridiculous." But the NBA.com article linked below also said that "he scored "a tremendous 1.346 points per finishing opportunity in the half court [87th percentile]" and that's when Romeo was the focus of every defense plus he had the hand injury.

This article from a Miami Heat blogger has a bunch of fun stats, including that he was in the 98th percentile when finishing off the high PnR.

DeRozen with a 3P shot. Whoa.

Some more stats here: https://stats.nba.com/articles/2019-nba-draft-profile-romeo-langford/
 

lovegtm

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The most common comparison if Langford hits his potential is DeRozen, but that's only because Romeo didn't shoot well from 3P in college. But if you include becoming a league average 3P shooter, you're going to have an All-Star.

At IU, Langford shot 66% on shots in the paint, which when I read this is usually prefaced by the word "ridiculous." But the NBA.com article linked below also said that "he scored "a tremendous 1.346 points per finishing opportunity in the half court [87th percentile]" and that's when Romeo was the focus of every defense plus he had the hand injury.

This article from a Miami Heat blogger has a bunch of fun stats, including that he was in the 98th percentile when finishing off the high PnR.

DeRozen with a 3P shot. Whoa.

Some more stats here: https://stats.nba.com/articles/2019-nba-draft-profile-romeo-langford/
Ceiling isn't just DeRozan with a 3P, but DeRozan with a 3P and defense. Even just DeRozan with defense and no 3P is a really freaking good player.

(Insert usual, boring, but apparently necessary disclaimer about how ceiling does not mean "likely outcome." As a side note, I do get a kick out of how people "well, actually" the hell out of young guys when you talk about their ceiling, but then when it's clear that they're going to be good (like Tatum and Brown), everyone treats that outcome as pre-ordained.)
 

Cesar Crespo

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The most common comparison if Langford hits his potential is DeRozen, but that's only because Romeo didn't shoot well from 3P in college. But if you include becoming a league average 3P shooter, you're going to have an All-Star.

At IU, Langford shot 66% on shots in the paint, which when I read this is usually prefaced by the word "ridiculous." But the NBA.com article linked below also said that "he scored "a tremendous 1.346 points per finishing opportunity in the half court [87th percentile]" and that's when Romeo was the focus of every defense plus he had the hand injury.

This article from a Miami Heat blogger has a bunch of fun stats, including that he was in the 98th percentile when finishing off the high PnR.

DeRozen with a 3P shot. Whoa.

Some more stats here: https://stats.nba.com/articles/2019-nba-draft-profile-romeo-langford/
DeRozan is a 4 time all-star without a 3 point shot and mediocre defense. He'd probably have a few top 5 seasons in MVP voting if he had both. Hell, he finished 11th in 16-17 and 8th in 17-18.

I'm not making an argument about whether DeRozan is good or not. I'm pointing out actual facts. DeRozan is a 4 time all-star.
 

lovegtm

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DeRozan is a 4 time all-star without a 3 point shot and mediocre defense. He'd probably have a few top 5 seasons in MVP voting if he had both. Hell, he finished 11th in 16-17 and 8th in 17-18.

I'm not making an argument about whether DeRozan is good or not. I'm pointing out actual facts. DeRozan is a 4 time all-star.
Yes, DeMar Rozan is a very good offensive player. Hence WBCD talking about Langford's "ceiling", and not "most likely outcome."

Interestingly, DeRozan's 2nd contract (4/38M) was regarded as a bit of an overpay at the time he signed it.
 

amarshal2

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It’s great that Romeo can finish very efficiently in the paint. The few minutes I’ve seen so far seem to confirm that. Obviously adding in defense is valuable to that. But arguably more valuable than adding a 3pt shot is the ability to create a high volume of high efficiency shots in the paint. To be extreme, the ability to create that opportunity at high volume is the difference between D. Wade and Tacko Fall. I don’t know how good Romeo is going to be at creating that opportunity, mostly because I haven’t seen enough.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Yes, DeMar Rozan is a very good offensive player. Hence WBCD talking about Langford's "ceiling", and not "most likely outcome."

Interestingly, DeRozan's 2nd contract (4/38M) was regarded as a bit of an overpay at the time he signed it.
Right but if you add a 3 point shot and defense to DeRozan, you are talking about a top 5 player in the game. If Langford turned into just DeRozan, he'd make a few all star games.
 

lovegtm

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Right but if you add a 3 point shot and defense to DeRozan, you are talking about a top 5 player in the game. If Langford turned into just DeRozan, he'd make a few all star games.
Yeah, this is why "ceiling" discussions always make people uncomfortable, especially when you're talking about guys with Langford's physical tools and ability to get to the rim. There's no way to really limit his "ceiling", but everyone knows hitting it is a massive longshot, so it feels weird/homerish to talk about it. At the same time, most people here are sophisticated enough to know that ceiling discussions are longshots, so the constant need to throw in that disclaimer is tiresome as all hell.

Probably the more important thing to draw from the discussion is that Romeo Langford has really strong base tools, and the biggest determinants of whether Romeo Langford will be good are 1) Romeo Langford himself and 2) his health. If it turns out that he has the Brown/Tatum smarts+determination to constantly improve, he'll likely be a really good player. If he doesn't, and sort of floats, he won't be.

His first real action against Detroit was encouraging just because he clearly hadn't let himself get depressed by the injury luck, and went out and worked hard on one of his biggest perceived weaknesses.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,113
Santa Monica
Right but if you add a 3 point shot and defense to DeRozan, you are talking about a top 5 player in the game. If Langford turned into just DeRozan, he'd make a few all star games.
its a ceiling not many players ever hit that...BUT its exactly why you play Romeo in small/low leverage minutes.

DNP-CD is a pretty stupid approach to rookie/player development. Either give him some time at the NBA level or major minutes in the G-League.
 
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