Green89 wrote:Jajuan Johnson and James Young had size. If Langford can't score at an NBA level, it won't matter, as the smaller Edwards will get more floor time.
I don't think you are necessarily drawing an equivalence with Romeo and those guys, but it's a fun topic to address so here goes.
JJJ's size wasn't particularly good. He had good PF height and very good wingspan, but he was stick skinny and his standing reach was lacking for a big.
James Young had excellent wing size, yes.
But both of those guys were almost DOA from a skill standpoint with athletic deficiencies as well. JJJ was a college go to post guy who had no prayer of getting the kind of usage he got in college or of handling it efficiently against NBA bigs. He had to convert himself into a pick and pop big and a defense first guy (which he wasn't in college - just a blocks guy who racked up defensive accolades based on box score stats) to make it in the league. And we're talking a 4 year college guy who had to completely remold himself, to unlearn what he'd learned. Athletically, he was mobile, but not particularly fast, and his lack of plus quickness combined with his lack of bulk put him at a disadvantage athletically.
James Young had youth and better size and made a more appealing blank slate as a result, but he was completely unskilled - couldn't handle the ball, had a very small range of shots he was comfortable with and had no floor game. And even moreso than JJJ, he was athletically overmatched, being very slow for the wing position without the bulk to slide down to the 4.
In contrast to both of them, Romeo has the combo of ideal size and good NBA athleticism - he's not a freak by any means, but he has solid lateral quickness and excellent strength. He also has a skill package that is designed for the NBA. He doesn't have to do a JJJ style overhaul of anything except his spot-up jumper. He has comfort using the pick and roll and attacking mismatches, and the ability to score at the rim, in-between and pulling up or stepping back. His solid handle is hugely important - that's one of the more difficult things for wings to add. Adding the ability to read defenses in the spacing of modern offenses is relatively simple once you can handle and score - Beal is a classic example of a mediocre passer who can now do a quality job of reading defenses.
Defensively, Romeo is vastly more advanced than James Young, who was hopeless on ball, and more useful than JJJ, whose frame was insufficient. Romeo has already seen a significant amount of time on #1 options and is pretty solid in most facets of man D. He can move laterally, he can absorb contact and he can contest. Team D/awareness is the missing part of his game, but he's half a good defender already.
The big problem for Romeo is if his deep jumper never improves. His one significant athletic weakness is a lack of explosiveness, which makes it harder for him to beat defenders who don't have to respect his deep J and harder to work without the ball. Without it he risks becoming a Marquis Daniels/Evan Turner type.
oops. sorry for double post
