Romeo Langford Thread

[24istheLAW]

I am far from giving up on Romeo. He needs a steady role next year. Don't play him with other non shooters. let him do what he "might" be good at. Slashing, scoring and play-making a bit. And of course defending.

I won't rule out Romeo becoming a much better shooter. But it doesn't look like it will ever be a strong point. But if he can become a J Crowder "like" player, he will have good value for us going forward.

I think his shot improving anytime soon is pretty optimistic. Romeo's just missed so much important developmental time. How many shots has he missed the opportunity to put up over the last 2 years? And now that he's back, he's been thrust into a high-pressure situation where he cannot try and assert the skills he has (slashing).

Sometimes the difference between players who succeed and fail is just injury luck. And sometimes the it's the situation. I don't think Nesmith ending up a better player than Langford necessarily has to be a commentary on their absolute talent levels at 19 years old or something. Nesmith has been available ("the best ability is availability" - Parcells), and on the team that drafted him, he's got a skillset such that he'll be asked to do what he does best when he plays.

[cloverleaf]

I am far from giving up on Romeo. He needs a steady role next year. Don't play him with other non shooters. let him do what he "might" be good at. Slashing, scoring and play-making a bit. And of course defending.

I won't rule out Romeo becoming a much better shooter. But it doesn't look like it will ever be a strong point. But if he can become a J Crowder "like" player, he will have good value for us going forward.

I think his shot improving anytime soon is pretty optimistic. Romeo's just missed so much important developmental time. How many shots has he missed the opportunity to put up over the last 2 years? And now that he's back, he's been thrust into a high-pressure situation where he cannot try and assert the skills he has (slashing).

Sometimes the difference between players who succeed and fail is just injury luck. And sometimes the it's the situation. I don't think Nesmith ending up a better player than Langford necessarily has to be a commentary on their absolute talent levels at 19 years old or something. Nesmith has been available ("the best ability is availability" - Parcells), and on the team that drafted him, he's got a skillset such that he'll be asked to do what he does best when he plays.

Romeo's not that far from a long, hopefully healthy, summer to work on his shot. He's also still the youngest player on the team. He's got plenty of time.

A healthy Terry Rozier had a .326 TS% for the C's when he was Romeo's age, then a .466 TS% a year later--and look at him now. (Romeo's at .393 right now and was at .434 last season, again off of injury.)

[KumaJG]

Romeo Langsford always been a long term product

[24istheLAW]

I am far from giving up on Romeo. He needs a steady role next year. Don't play him with other non shooters. let him do what he "might" be good at. Slashing, scoring and play-making a bit. And of course defending.

I won't rule out Romeo becoming a much better shooter. But it doesn't look like it will ever be a strong point. But if he can become a J Crowder "like" player, he will have good value for us going forward.

I think his shot improving anytime soon is pretty optimistic. Romeo's just missed so much important developmental time. How many shots has he missed the opportunity to put up over the last 2 years? And now that he's back, he's been thrust into a high-pressure situation where he cannot try and assert the skills he has (slashing).

Sometimes the difference between players who succeed and fail is just injury luck. And sometimes the it's the situation. I don't think Nesmith ending up a better player than Langford necessarily has to be a commentary on their absolute talent levels at 19 years old or something. Nesmith has been available ("the best ability is availability" - Parcells), and on the team that drafted him, he's got a skillset such that he'll be asked to do what he does best when he plays.

Romeo's not that far from a long, hopefully healthy, summer to work on his shot. He's also still the youngest player on the team. He's got plenty of time.

A healthy Terry Rozier had a .326 TS% for the C's when he was Romeo's age, then a .466 TS% a year later--and look at him now. (Romeo's at .393 right now and was at .434 last season, again off of injury.)

I don't love Rozier comparison here. Rozier's mechanics were very clean from day 1. From year two his catch & shoot 3-point numbers were good. His shot selection was just so horrendous (and his finishing inside too). Romeo's shooting problems are more fundamental.

That aside, I do love the little competition going on between Langford and Nesmith. It's gotta be good for Romeo to see Aaron's carpe diem approach to the game get rewarded.

[playa-hater]

I think his shot improving anytime soon is pretty optimistic. Romeo's just missed so much important developmental time. How many shots has he missed the opportunity to put up over the last 2 years? And now that he's back, he's been thrust into a high-pressure situation where he cannot try and assert the skills he has (slashing).

Sometimes the difference between players who succeed and fail is just injury luck. And sometimes the it's the situation. I don't think Nesmith ending up a better player than Langford necessarily has to be a commentary on their absolute talent levels at 19 years old or something. Nesmith has been available ("the best ability is availability" - Parcells), and on the team that drafted him, he's got a skillset such that he'll be asked to do what he does best when he plays.

Romeo's not that far from a long, hopefully healthy, summer to work on his shot. He's also still the youngest player on the team. He's got plenty of time.

A healthy Terry Rozier had a .326 TS% for the C's when he was Romeo's age, then a .466 TS% a year later--and look at him now. (Romeo's at .393 right now and was at .434 last season, again off of injury.)

I don't love Rozier comparison here. Rozier's mechanics were very clean from day 1. From year two his catch & shoot 3-point numbers were good. His shot selection was just so horrendous (and his finishing inside too). Romeo's shooting problems are more fundamental.

That aside, I do love the little competition going on between Langford and Nesmith. It's gotta be good for Romeo to see Aaron's carpe diem approach to the game get rewarded.

my first thought after reading this was I would be so scared of Romeo hitting the floor so many times the way Nesmith does. Romeo playing recklessly like Nesmith is asking for disaster.

[djFan71]

Spoiler:

Romeo's not that far from a long, hopefully healthy, summer to work on his shot. He's also still the youngest player on the team. He's got plenty of time.

A healthy Terry Rozier had a .326 TS% for the C's when he was Romeo's age, then a .466 TS% a year later--and look at him now. (Romeo's at .393 right now and was at .434 last season, again off of injury.)

I don't love Rozier comparison here. Rozier's mechanics were very clean from day 1. From year two his catch & shoot 3-point numbers were good. His shot selection was just so horrendous (and his finishing inside too). Romeo's shooting problems are more fundamental.

That aside, I do love the little competition going on between Langford and Nesmith. It's gotta be good for Romeo to see Aaron's carpe diem approach to the game get rewarded.

my first thought after reading this was I would be so scared of Romeo hitting the floor so many times the way Nesmith does. Romeo playing recklessly like Nesmith is asking for disaster.

lol, but, those 6 minutes before he got hurt would be glorious!

[31to6]

If you saw Romeo playing in a pickup game, what would he be doing?

I can answer that for just about all of our players — except Romeo. “Standing in the corner” is not a great answer to this question, though it is exactly what Semi Ojeleye would be doing

[JediMasterRevan]

Romeo Langsford always been a long term product

2 years away from being healthy, 2 years away from being a 2 way player.

[return2glory]

Two years into his NBA career and Romeo couldn’t start off any worse.

The Celtics organization and fan base should expect nothing from him.

Next season will Hebrew year 3 for Romeo. While will young, next season should be a make or break season for him. He needs to dedicate his mind, body and soul in this off season. He needs to get stronger both physically and mentally.

We will find out soon if he has it in him to be a good NBA player or potentially be a bust and be out of the league. Hoping we have a lot of good things to say about him next season.

[Hal14]

Two years into his NBA career and Romeo couldn’t start off any worse.

The Celtics organization and fan base should expect nothing from him.

Next season will Hebrew year 3 for Romeo. While will young, next season should be a make or break season for him. He needs to dedicate his mind, body and soul in this off season. He needs to get stronger both physically and mentally.

We will find out soon if he has it in him to be a good NBA player or potentially be a bust and be out of the league. Hoping we have a lot of good things to say about him next season.

I agree that next seasojm will be important for him, but I think you're taking it a little far saying "We will find out soon if he has it in him to be a good NBA player or potentially be a bust and be out of the league" and "next season should be a make or break season for him"

Keep in mind:
a) he's basically a rookie now since he's only played in 52 games (counting last year's playoffs) which is far less than 1 NBA season. Considering all the time he's missed to injuries/COVID, he's basically a rookie right now.
b) Next season he will only be 22. That's 1 year younger than Pritchard is right now. So it's basically like you're saying that when Pritchard was 22, that was his make or make season....but the dude wasn't even in the NBA yet when he was 22! He was still a senior in college, lol...yes, Nesmith seems to be showing more at age 21 than Langford is at 21, but Nesmith wasn't doing jack sh%t up until these last 2 games, before the hornets game it was a consensus that langford was better. Plus, even if Nesmith is better right now, some guys take longer to develop than others. If you said that "We will find out soon if he has it in him to be a good NBA player or potentially be a bust and be out of the league" and "next season should be a make or break season for him" about Chauncey Billups and Steve Nash when they were only 22, then both would be out of the league, but instead they're both hall of famers.

[return2glory]

Two years into his NBA career and Romeo couldn’t start off any worse.

The Celtics organization and fan base should expect nothing from him.

Next season will Hebrew year 3 for Romeo. While will young, next season should be a make or break season for him. He needs to dedicate his mind, body and soul in this off season. He needs to get stronger both physically and mentally.

We will find out soon if he has it in him to be a good NBA player or potentially be a bust and be out of the league. Hoping we have a lot of good things to say about him next season.

I agree that next seasojm will be important for him, but I think you're taking it a little far saying "We will find out soon if he has it in him to be a good NBA player or potentially be a bust and be out of the league" and "next season should be a make or break season for him"

Keep in mind:
a) he's basically a rookie now since he's only played in 52 games (counting last year's playoffs) which is far less than 1 NBA season. Considering all the time he's missed to injuries/COVID, he's basically a rookie right now.
b) Next season he will only be 22. That's 1 year younger than Pritchard is right now. So it's basically like you're saying that when Pritchard was 22, that was his make or make season....but the dude wasn't even in the NBA yet when he was 22! He was still a senior in college, lol...yes, Nesmith seems to be showing more at age 21 than Langford is at 21, but Nesmith wasn't doing jack sh%t up until these last 2 games, before the hornets game it was a consensus that langford was better. Plus, even if Nesmith is better right now, some guys take longer to develop than others. If you said that "We will find out soon if he has it in him to be a good NBA player or potentially be a bust and be out of the league" and "next season should be a make or break season for him" about Chauncey Billups and Steve Nash when they were only 22, then both would be out of the league, but instead they're both hall of famers.

You’re comparing with to Pritchard, Billups, Nash? All those young had the ability to stay healthy. Knock on wood for Pritchard. Billups was points out 14 a game in his 2nd season.

We all know Romeo would be a senior in college next season. But he choose to go to the NBA.

Two years and he hasn’t shown much other than decent defense. His offense has been so bad that he isn’t playable anymore.

Next year is year 3. He needs to show something or his will be reaching James Young territory. Don’t get me wrong, he has plenty of time. But he needs to show some improvement by next season.

If the Celtics re-sign Fournier and Nesmith keeps improving, Romeo wouldn’t be needed as much on this team and the Celtics can wait until year 4. But that’s a lot of waiting.

[sportfan6197]

I think his shot improving anytime soon is pretty optimistic. Romeo's just missed so much important developmental time. How many shots has he missed the opportunity to put up over the last 2 years? And now that he's back, he's been thrust into a high-pressure situation where he cannot try and assert the skills he has (slashing).

Sometimes the difference between players who succeed and fail is just injury luck. And sometimes the it's the situation. I don't think Nesmith ending up a better player than Langford necessarily has to be a commentary on their absolute talent levels at 19 years old or something. Nesmith has been available ("the best ability is availability" - Parcells), and on the team that drafted him, he's got a skillset such that he'll be asked to do what he does best when he plays.

Romeo's not that far from a long, hopefully healthy, summer to work on his shot. He's also still the youngest player on the team. He's got plenty of time.

A healthy Terry Rozier had a .326 TS% for the C's when he was Romeo's age, then a .466 TS% a year later--and look at him now. (Romeo's at .393 right now and was at .434 last season, again off of injury.)

I don't love Rozier comparison here. Rozier's mechanics were very clean from day 1. From year two his catch & shoot 3-point numbers were good. His shot selection was just so horrendous (and his finishing inside too). Romeo's shooting problems are more fundamental.

That aside, I do love the little competition going on between Langford and Nesmith. It's gotta be good for Romeo to see Aaron's carpe diem approach to the game get rewarded.

Rosier was really bad year 1. I’d say middle-end of year 2 and especially in the playoffs was when he really turned the corner.

[Hal14]

Ok, here me out..

Read on Twitter

After reading that tweet, it dawned on me. There's a particular archetype of NBA player. It's not super common, but the players who fit the archetype are all super valuable players. All are either starters are key bench players.

The archetype?

-Long (6'9" wingspan or longer)
-Athletic
-Wing
-Elite defender (all NBA defender or close to it. Can defend multiple positions, really good sliding his feet laterally, contests shots, can defend star scorers and really make them work, etc.)
-Pretty limited offensively

There might be more, but off the top of my head, here's a few guys (either playing today or played very recently) who fit the description:

Herbert Jones - Pelicans - 7'0" wingspan
Matisse Thybulle - Sixers - 7'0" wingspan
Tony Allen - Celtics, Grizzlies - 6'9" wingspan
Royce O'Neal - Jazz - 6'10" wingspan

I think Romeo Langford could very well be one of these guys. We all know that he's a really good defender. He's got a 6'11" wingspan, good athleticism. Only question to me is, over the course of the rest of this season, can he a) stay healthy and b) prove that he is at (or at least close enough) to the level of these other guys defensively.

Keep in mind, Romeo is the youngest of the group. Even though Jones is only a rookie and Thybulle was drafted the same year as Romeo, Thybulle is 24 yrs old, Jones is 23 and Romeo is still just 22. Since he's younger, that means Romeo has even more of a window for further development.

Lots of people have hated on Romeo since we drafted him. But this has proven to be a very valuable archetype. And Romeo is on the cusp of being part of this group. Romeo at age 21/22 has been outlier good in terms of his defense at such a young age and with such good length (6'11" wingspan). The only other dude in recent memory who has been as good defensively as Romeo at age 21 or younger is Evan Mobley - and he's an absolute FREAK.

Just saying, we might have a good one in Romeo. I'm onboard with hanging on to him. I mean, unless he was part of a trade package for Beal or some other REALLY good player, where the deal is just too good to pass up.

Otherwise, keep him. Keep developing him. And you might be surprised at how good he ends up being.

[BostonCouchGM]

Ok, here me out..

Read on Twitter

After reading that tweet, it dawned on me. There's a particular archetype of NBA player. It's not super common, but the players who fit the archetype are all super valuable players. All are either starters are key bench players.

The archetype?

-Long (6'9" wingspan or longer)
-Athletic
-Wing
-Elite defender (all NBA defender or close to it. Can defend multiple positions, really good sliding his feet laterally, contests shots, can defend star scorers and really make them work, etc.)
-Pretty limited offensively

There might be more, but off the top of my head, here's a few guys (either playing today or played very recently) who fit the description:

Herbert Jones - Pelicans - 7'0" wingspan
Matisse Thybulle - Sixers - 7'0" wingspan
Tony Allen - Celtics, Grizzlies - 6'9" wingspan
Royce O'Neal - Jazz - 6'10" wingspan

I think Romeo Langford could very well be one of these guys. We all know that he's a really good defender. He's got a 6'11" wingspan, good athleticism. Only question to me is, over the course of the rest of this season, can he a) stay healthy and b) prove that he is at (or at least close enough) to the level of these other guys defensively.

Keep in mind, Romeo is the youngest of the group. Even though Jones is only a rookie and Thybulle was drafted the same year as Romeo, Thybulle is 24 yrs old, Jones is 23 and Romeo is still just 22. Since he's younger, that means Romeo has even more of a window for further development.

Lots of people have hated on Romeo since we drafted him. But this has proven to be a very valuable archetype. And Romeo is on the cusp of being part of this group. Romeo at age 21/22 has been outlier good in terms of his defense at such a young age and with such good length (6'11" wingspan). The only other dude in recent memory who has been as good defensively as Romeo at age 21 or younger is Evan Mobley - and he's an absolute FREAK.

Just saying, we might have a good one in Romeo. I'm onboard with hanging on to him. I mean, unless he was part of a trade package for Beal or some other REALLY good player, where the deal is just too good to pass up.

Otherwise, keep him. Keep developing him. And you might be surprised at how good he ends up being.

I remain optimistic and wished we hadn't impeded his (and Nesmith's) development by getting Richardson. That said, he's a vastly overrated defender. It's weird reading these boards. So many believe we have a top 10 guy (Tatum), a top 25-30 guy (Jaylen) a potential all-star (TimeLord) and great young defender (Langford) yet we are average personified and our records shows it. I think the truth very few want to acknowledge or even consider, is that Tatum isn't a top 10 player, Jaylen is maybe top 40, TimeLord is no better than a dozen other bigs like him that nobody praises and Langford is a JAG.

I'm hoping we can get definitive answers before the season ends by giving Langford and TimeLord 30 mpg the rest of the way. Ask them both to shoot their open shots especially TimeLord. Make them prove they can stay healthy and productive. But I have a sneaking suspicion that this won't happen because Ime is in over his head.

[Celts17Pride]

Celtics should keep Romeo Langford. Every year I look forward to the 35 games he plays in during the season.

Just kidding, he has never played 35 games in a season. Langford has played in 29 games this year so far. I am hopeful he breaks the 35 game barrier this year.

Honestly would be shocked if he is on the team past Feb 10th

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Romeo Langford is a rotation player, the youngest player on the roster and on a cheap rookie contract. There is zero reason for the Celtics to dump him. Prepare to be shocked.

Concerning his availability it hasn't been great to date but it's a bit disingenuous to say that he never plays 35 games in a season when he's on pace for 64 this year (not amazing but completely normal). I mean the 29 games played this season is 6th on the Celtics and more than Brown, Horford or Richardson for instance.

Langford has had one major injury since coming into the league. Wrist problems are also not known to be chronic and career-ending in the same way that knee or back issues so there's no reason for that injury to be a problem going forward. It's maybe a tad premature to suggest Langford's body is broken.

Brown had the same wrist injury as Langford by the way. One guy didn't miss any games and one guy missed half a season because one guy had a 6-month offseason and the other one had like a month and a half. Unless Langford is responsible for the league calendar or the pandemic messing with the NBA calendar I don't know how that's on him.

[Half-Full]

Romeo Langford is a rotation player, the youngest player on the roster and on a cheap rookie contract. There is zero reason for the Celtics to dump him. Prepare to be shocked.

Concerning his availability it hasn't been great to date but it's a bit disingenuous to say that he never plays 35 games in a season when he's on pace for 64 this year (not amazing but completely normal). I mean the 29 games played this season is 6th on the Celtics and more than Brown, Horford or Richardson for instance.

Langford has had one major injury since coming into the league. Wrist problems are also not known to be chronic and career-ending in the same way that knee or back issues so there's no reason for that injury to be a problem going forward. It's maybe a tad premature to suggest Langford's body is broken.

Brown had the same wrist injury as Langford by the way. One guy didn't miss any games and one guy missed half a season because one guy had a 6-month offseason and the other one had like a month and a half. Unless Langford is responsible for the league calendar or the pandemic messing with the NBA calendar I don't know how that's on him.

He is young, continues to show improvement, and has been deservedly rewarded with more playing time. It makes no sense to "dump" him. That is not to say he should not be included in any trade that might help make the team better. I believe we have yet to see the best of Romeo, however, and he has gained a lot of confidence this year. That should pay a dividend next year.

[Hal14]

Romeo Langford is a rotation player, the youngest player on the roster and on a cheap rookie contract. There is zero reason for the Celtics to dump him. Prepare to be shocked.

Concerning his availability it hasn't been great to date but it's a bit disingenuous to say that he never plays 35 games in a season when he's on pace for 64 this year (not amazing but completely normal). I mean the 29 games played this season is 6th on the Celtics and more than Brown, Horford or Richardson for instance.

Langford has had one major injury since coming into the league. Wrist problems are also not known to be chronic and career-ending in the same way that knee or back issues so there's no reason for that injury to be a problem going forward. It's maybe a tad premature to suggest Langford's body is broken.

Brown had the same wrist injury as Langford by the way. One guy didn't miss any games and one guy missed half a season because one guy had a 6-month offseason and the other one had like a month and a half. Unless Langford is responsible for the league calendar or the pandemic messing with the NBA calendar I don't know how that's on him.

exactly.

Additional context to keep in mind regarding his availability:

1) A lot of the games he's missed were not even injury related. Last season missed like a month with COVID and this season has missed a few games with non-COVID related illness. You can't really count these games missed. Not anyone's fault if they get sick and can't be predicted. can happen to anyone at any time.

2) Also consider that the entire league saw a significant increase injuries in 2020-2021 season because of the condensed schedule, less days off between games + shortened offseason due to pandemic. Celtics were 1 of 4 teams who had an even shorter offseason than the rest of the league since we made the conference finals in 2020. all 4 of those teams (lakers, nuggets, celtics, heat) all were among the teams who saw the most injuries in 2020-2021, no coincidence.

[Celts17Pride]

No one said anything about dumping Romeo Langford. I just suspect he will end up part of a trade package to upgrade the roster.

[SatchSanders]

Romeo Langford is a rotation player, the youngest player on the roster and on a cheap rookie contract. There is zero reason for the Celtics to dump him. Prepare to be shocked.

Concerning his availability it hasn't been great to date but it's a bit disingenuous to say that he never plays 35 games in a season when he's on pace for 64 this year (not amazing but completely normal). I mean the 29 games played this season is 6th on the Celtics and more than Brown, Horford or Richardson for instance.

Langford has had one major injury since coming into the league. Wrist problems are also not known to be chronic and career-ending in the same way that knee or back issues so there's no reason for that injury to be a problem going forward. It's maybe a tad premature to suggest Langford's body is broken.

Brown had the same wrist injury as Langford by the way. One guy didn't miss any games and one guy missed half a season because one guy had a 6-month offseason and the other one had like a month and a half. Unless Langford is responsible for the league calendar or the pandemic messing with the NBA calendar I don't know how that's on him.

exactly.

Additional context to keep in mind regarding his availability:

1) A lot of the games he's missed were not even injury related. Last season missed like a month with COVID and this season has missed a few games with non-COVID related illness. You can't really count these games missed. Not anyone's fault if they get sick and can't be predicted. can happen to anyone at any time.

2) Also consider that the entire league saw a significant increase injuries in 2020-2021 season because of the condensed schedule, less days off between games + shortened offseason due to pandemic. Celtics were 1 of 4 teams who had an even shorter offseason than the rest of the league since we made the conference finals in 2020. all 4 of those teams (lakers, nuggets, celtics, heat) all were among the teams who saw the most injuries in 2020-2021, no coincidence.

Langford's 22 years old and is short two off-seasons of training due to the thumb and then the wrist injuries. Despite his defensive strength and versatility, he actually has more potential offensively to help the Celtics. But he's inconsistent on that end due to youth, inexperience, too much unselfishness, and I think generally a lack of confidence asserting himself given the personalities on the team. Nevertheless he's our closest analogue to Gordon Hayward, whose absence moreso hurts the team rather than the lack of a waterbug point. Langford's emergence as a point forward who defends would unlock much of our team's potential. Given his contract, Langford should be very difficult to pry away from the Celtics.

This is where I think the Jays' (and maybe Smart's) immaturity comes into play. They should be pushing Ime to run the offense much more often through RWIII and Langford, with Smart a DJ-style point to bring the ball up and fill in where needed. Ball movement through RWIII at the high post and Langford slashing will open up attacking opportunities for the Jays while maintaining strong defense. Then Tatum in particular can serve as playmaker when opportune without being forced to do so all the time.