100proof wrote:Slartibartfast wrote:sam_I_am wrote:
That is reasonable because we’ve seen those two excel in SL but we haven’t seen Romeo. But what if he is the best of all 3? That is why I am excited to see him.....we have no idea how he stacks up against NBA talent.
Yep - he's the guy I'm most excited about.
As for expectations, he is young with tons of question marks and competition, but Brad did a pretty great job prepping Jaylen and Tatum from the get-go.
And Langford isn't physically overmatched like an RJ Hunter or helpless defensively like James Young. He's got an NBA-ready frame, legit wing size, solid quickness, strength and instincts for man D. He can also rebound, fill a lane, cut and finish. That's basically the skill package that got Jaylen on the floor during the first half of his rookie year.
He'll need to be able to hit spot-up 3s to enlarge his role, but I think that's a reasonable hope. And even if he doesn't Brad has given plenty of minutes to poor shooting guards and wings who can handle the ball (Rozier/Smart/ET)
Langford had/showed an unwillingness to pass, defend or defer on his college team. So while he may have the physical tools, not sure he has the mental.
I think Langford was a high risk, medium reward type pick that will take a couple years to show out at all.
I also believe he was chosen purely based on availability and the uncertainty of both Hayward and Browns spots on the team in 2020.
Langford was plenty willing to defer for Indiana. That was a recurring strain of criticism - that he didn't take over like someone of his talent should. Too willing to kick out to lesser threats when PNR or triple threat didn't yield a great angle for a drive
He also defended. Was poor off-ball, especially early in the year, but repeatedly defended the opponent's best wing and acquitted himself pretty well.
Passing is definitely an area he needs to improve, but he wasn't a ballhog by any stretch. Prone to tunnel vision on occasion, but he can and did pass the ball willingly.
Langford's high risk areas are shot and motor. If he's Evan Turner from beyond 18 feet, his offensive value is strictly limited because he's not that explosive. If his motor revs too low, he won't be able to get much value out of his strength and athleticism.
The rest of his game is quite low risk. He doesn't have any major physical hurdles to overcome. No character red flags. He's coachable. His skill package is diverse.
Without going to extremes, I think his lower range career outcome is 10th/11th man, like late career Marquis Daniels or Flip Murray (versatile guards hampered by shooting inefficiency and defensive challenges). His middle range would be guys like John Salmons, Anthony Parker, Ron Mercer, Larry Hughes and Evan Turner (flawed but useful 4th-7th man guards). With an upper range of fringe all-star like Joe Johnson and Gordon Hayward.