Romeo Langford Thread

[Half-Full]

All indications are that Romeo is serious about his craft and is not a knucklehead, like Jaylen.

Jaylen is a knucklehead? He must hide it well.

[Gomes3PC]

If we compare Romeo Langford to Jaylen Brown at the same stage of each of their careers, Romeo holds up pretty well. Their 3 point % in their freshman year was about the same; Romeo is a better free throw shooter and they both got to the line a lot; steals and blocks are unimpressive for both of them;they have similar age, height and wingspan. Jaylen is a more explosive athlete, while Romeo is a better passer and has a better feel for the game. All indications are that Romeo is serious about his craft and is not a knucklehead, like Jaylen. I don't see any reason why Romeo cannot have a similar career.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownja02.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/romeo-langford-1.html

Right now people are seriously debating whether Jaylen should get a 4 year $100 million extension. He is going to have a long NBA career any way you slice it.

I'd say that suggests Romeo was a solid pick at 14.

I don't really understand where you get the idea that Jaylen is a knucklehead. Because he travels a lot in his free time and likes to play chess?

[cloverleaf]

If we compare Romeo Langford to Jaylen Brown at the same stage of each of their careers, Romeo holds up pretty well. Their 3 point % in their freshman year was about the same; Romeo is a better free throw shooter and they both got to the line a lot; steals and blocks are unimpressive for both of them;they have similar age, height and wingspan. Jaylen is a more explosive athlete, while Romeo is a better passer and has a better feel for the game. All indications are that Romeo is serious about his craft and is not a knucklehead, like Jaylen. I don't see any reason why Romeo cannot have a similar career.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownja02.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/romeo-langford-1.html

Right now people are seriously debating whether Jaylen should get a 4 year $100 million extension. He is going to have a long NBA career any way you slice it.

I'd say that suggests Romeo was a solid pick at 14.

What makes you think Jaylen isn't serious about his craft? Is it all his workout videos in the offseason? I don't get that statement.

I think you are misreading. He says, like Jaylen, Romeo is serious and not a knucklehead.

Just a poorly formed sentence. Should have "like Jaylen" moved up between "and" and "is".

[Andrew McCeltic]

He’s a good bet to become a shooter - I’m more worried that his handles and playmaking ability are more sizzle than steak - he looks talented when you see clips of him attacking the defense, but he can only go right and he turns the ball over almost as often as he gets an assist. Antoine Walker had the same charisma, he’d look like Magic Johnson and then dribble the ball of his foot. Not saying Langford is Antoine, just that looking smooth isn’t the same thing as being smooth.

I would say - and this was the explanation for drafting Terry Rozier - that Langford had the most star upside of anyone left on the board. He’s strong, can get to the rim and get to the line - so if he can smooth out his shot and tighten his handles, his floor is, like, Evan Fournier. And he had enough hype before his Indiana season that he could be much better if it turns out he just has a knack for getting to the rim.

[Slartibartfast]

He’s a good bet to become a shooter - I’m more worried that his handles and playmaking ability are more sizzle than steak - he looks talented when you see clips of him attacking the defense, but he can only go right and he turns the ball over almost as often as he gets an assist. Antoine Walker had the same charisma, he’d look like Magic Johnson and then dribble the ball of his foot. Not saying Langford is Antoine, just that looking smooth isn’t the same thing as being smooth.

I would say - and this was the explanation for drafting Terry Rozier - that Langford had the most star upside of anyone left on the board. He’s strong, can get to the rim and get to the line - so if he can smooth out his shot and tighten his handles, his floor is, like, Evan Fournier. And he had enough hype before his Indiana season that he could be much better if it turns out he just has a knack for getting to the rim.

Romeo's handle is fine going left. Did it with great frequency. His finishing going left is what suffers - doesn't have the same range of shots with his left hand and tends to pull-up or force it with his dominant hand.

There's a big difference between better with your dominant hand and not having any comfort with your off hand. Romeo is in the former category. Guys like Jeff Green and James Young were in the latter category.

And Romeo's turnover rate was actually not bad. Better than the other lotto scoring guards/wings - Barrett, Culver, Reddish, White and Garland. I'd even say it's a strength of his game. He can attack comfortably in either direction, his dribble is low, and he doesn't play flashy. He also consistently makes low-risk reads out of PNR - has no problem kicking it back to the perimeter if the right angle does not present itself. Avoids charges by choosing good angles.

His assists were also deflated by the quality of his teammates and Indiana's style of play. Indiana was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country (not that Romeo helped!). Teams were very comfortable helping off of Phinisee and especially Smith. That led to a perpetually clogged lane and a lot of kickouts to hopeless and/or reluctant jump shooters who would usually try to drive instead of taking the open J.

His biggest problems turnover wise were soft passing and being weak with the ball, a function of his occasionally low motor but also a pretty typical struggle of a freshman adjusting to a bump in the size and speed of opposing defenders. I remember against Arkansas, he had a possession where he was sizing up in triple threat and Gafford just dove for the ball and took it from him - you could tell Romeo wasn't used to big guys who would even try to something like that.

I expect the spacing of the NBA to do wonders for his game. Yes the length and speed will be a big adjustment, but there are so many good options for a good PNR guard with his size.

[Andrew McCeltic]

Yeah you’re right, it’s finishing with his left more than dribbling with it. There was some ball handling stat, though - I’m trying to find where I read it - that was really bad - maybe turnover rate operating the pick and roll..

[Feed Your Head]

Just popping in to say i still love the pick. Dude will be a good nba player, I see a ton of Tyreke Evans in him.

[DarkAzcura]

If we compare Romeo Langford to Jaylen Brown at the same stage of each of their careers, Romeo holds up pretty well. Their 3 point % in their freshman year was about the same; Romeo is a better free throw shooter and they both got to the line a lot; steals and blocks are unimpressive for both of them;they have similar age, height and wingspan. Jaylen is a more explosive athlete, while Romeo is a better passer and has a better feel for the game. All indications are that Romeo is serious about his craft and is not a knucklehead, like Jaylen. I don't see any reason why Romeo cannot have a similar career.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownja02.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/romeo-langford-1.html

Right now people are seriously debating whether Jaylen should get a 4 year $100 million extension. He is going to have a long NBA career any way you slice it.

I'd say that suggests Romeo was a solid pick at 14.

I don't really understand where you get the idea that Jaylen is a knucklehead. Because he travels a lot in his free time and likes to play chess?

I think Elrod’s wording is off. I think he is saying Romeo is similar to Jaylen as in he is not a knucklehead and is serious. Read it as similar to Jaylen instead of like Jaylen.

EDIT: yes, and it looks like he did clarify that a few posts later.

[Elrod is Back]

If we compare Romeo Langford to Jaylen Brown at the same stage of each of their careers, Romeo holds up pretty well. Their 3 point % in their freshman year was about the same; Romeo is a better free throw shooter and they both got to the line a lot; steals and blocks are unimpressive for both of them;they have similar age, height and wingspan. Jaylen is a more explosive athlete, while Romeo is a better passer and has a better feel for the game. All indications are that Romeo is serious about his craft and is not a knucklehead, like Jaylen. I don't see any reason why Romeo cannot have a similar career.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownja02.html
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/romeo-langford-1.html

Right now people are seriously debating whether Jaylen should get a 4 year $100 million extension. He is going to have a long NBA career any way you slice it.

I'd say that suggests Romeo was a solid pick at 14.

I don't really understand where you get the idea that Jaylen is a knucklehead. Because he travels a lot in his free time and likes to play chess?

I think Elrod’s wording is off. I think he is saying Romeo is similar to Jaylen as in he is not a knucklehead and is serious. Read it as similar to Jaylen instead of like Jaylen.

EDIT: yes, and it looks like he did clarify that a few posts later.

Thanks DarkAzcura. I apologize to all for my sloppy wording. I have nothing but respect for Jaylen's work ethic and professionalism.

[sam_I_am]

I don't really understand where you get the idea that Jaylen is a knucklehead. Because he travels a lot in his free time and likes to play chess?

I think Elrod’s wording is off. I think he is saying Romeo is similar to Jaylen as in he is not a knucklehead and is serious. Read it as similar to Jaylen instead of like Jaylen.

EDIT: yes, and it looks like he did clarify that a few posts later.

Thanks DarkAzcura. I apologize to all for my sloppy wording. I have nothing but respect for Jaylen's work ethic and professionalism.

I think we should continue to focus on the wording of that one sentence and ignore the meaning of the rest of the paragraph which makes it obvious what you meant. I mean the press just did it with Griffin’s comments about Lebron so ...

[Slartibartfast]

Yeah you’re right, it’s finishing with his left more than dribbling with it. There was some ball handling stat, though - I’m trying to find where I read it - that was really bad - maybe turnover rate operating the pick and roll..

From the snapshot of Synergy I snuck a peek at, his TO% was pretty low in PNR - don't have the breakdown for left vs right, but it was under 12%, which is quite good for a wing creator.

And a perk of his hand injury is that he could only work on his left hand (he talked about this in one of his pre draft interviews - https://hoopshype.com/2019/05/14/nba-2019-draft-romeo-langford-rumors-injury-lottery-indiana-mock-pick-thumb/).

His Synergy strength profile is very encouraging by the way.

90 percentile in PNR, 76 in iso (that's where he really likes to go right) and 65 in off-the-dribble jump-shooting. Those are the hardest parts of the game, scoring-wise. His suckiness was in the easier parts of the game - spot-up shooting, transition scoring.

[Andrew McCeltic]

Alright, you win this thread - I’m cautiously on board with Langford as a prospect. Training camp buzz on him should be interesting. What are the odds he becomes a Devin Booker/Donovan Mitchell late lotto pick who can light it up even as a rookie?

[sam_I_am]

Alright, you win this thread - I’m cautiously on board with Langford as a prospect. Training camp buzz on him should be interesting. What are the odds he becomes a Devin Booker/Donovan Mitchell late lotto pick who can light it up even as a rookie?

I think Donavan Mitchell is an interesting comparison - minus the explosiveness and natural leadership. They have same 6-10 wingspan even though DM is only 6-2.

[FlatearthZorro]

Just popping in to say i still love the pick. Dude will be a good nba player, I see a ton of Tyreke Evans in him.

He competes more on defense. If it remains the case, he should be a far better version of Reke.

[Darth Celtic]

Just popping in to say i still love the pick. Dude will be a good nba player, I see a ton of Tyreke Evans in him.

minus the blow

[Andrew McCeltic]

Alright, you win this thread - I’m cautiously on board with Langford as a prospect. Training camp buzz on him should be interesting. What are the odds he becomes a Devin Booker/Donovan Mitchell late lotto pick who can light it up even as a rookie?

I think Donavan Mitchell is an interesting comparison - minus the explosiveness and natural leadership. They have same 6-10 wingspan even though DM is only 6-2.

Not sure who I'd compare Langford to, I didn't mean Mitchell or Booker as similar players - only that they turned out to have star offensive ability but slid to the end of the lottery.

[Slartibartfast]

Alright, you win this thread - I’m cautiously on board with Langford as a prospect. Training camp buzz on him should be interesting. What are the odds he becomes a Devin Booker/Donovan Mitchell late lotto pick who can light it up even as a rookie?

Pretty low on this team. There would have to be catastrophic injuries to clear up that kind of usage.

Those guys both got drafted onto teams in dire need of volume scoring. We have a ridiculous amount of scoring so Romeo will mostly be working with scraps.

Somewhere in between Rozier's and Jaylen's rookie year is what I'm expecting.

[Elrod is Back]

:P

Alright, you win this thread - I’m cautiously on board with Langford as a prospect. Training camp buzz on him should be interesting. What are the odds he becomes a Devin Booker/Donovan Mitchell late lotto pick who can light it up even as a rookie?

Pretty low on this team. There would have to be catastrophic injuries to clear up that kind of usage.

Those guys both got drafted onto teams in dire need of volume scoring. We have a ridiculous amount of scoring so Romeo will mostly be working with scraps.

Somewhere in between Rozier's and Jaylen's rookie year is what I'm expecting.

Closer to Rozier's, I'd say. Not because of Langford's play but because we are so stacked at the wing position. I suspect that Romeo gets a lot of time in Maine. Even though Romeo projects as a better player down the road, Edwards has a more immediately transferable game, with his instant offense repertoire.

Injries can change that of course. Until GH went down in the opener two years ago, it was unclear what sort of minutes rookie Tatum would get.

[Slartibartfast]

:P

Alright, you win this thread - I’m cautiously on board with Langford as a prospect. Training camp buzz on him should be interesting. What are the odds he becomes a Devin Booker/Donovan Mitchell late lotto pick who can light it up even as a rookie?

Pretty low on this team. There would have to be catastrophic injuries to clear up that kind of usage.

Those guys both got drafted onto teams in dire need of volume scoring. We have a ridiculous amount of scoring so Romeo will mostly be working with scraps.

Somewhere in between Rozier's and Jaylen's rookie year is what I'm expecting.

Closer to Rozier's, I'd say. Not because of Langford's play but because we are so stacked at the wing position. I suspect that Romeo gets a lot of time in Maine. Even though Romeo projects as a better player down the road, Edwards has a more immediately transferable game, with his instant offense repertoire.

Injries can change that of course. Until GH went down in the opener two years ago, it was unclear what sort of minutes rookie Tatum would get.

Smart usually gets some kind of injury over the course of the year. I can definitely see a 10-20 game stretch where Romeo becomes the first guard off the bench in that scenario.

[jmr07019]

:P

Alright, you win this thread - I’m cautiously on board with Langford as a prospect. Training camp buzz on him should be interesting. What are the odds he becomes a Devin Booker/Donovan Mitchell late lotto pick who can light it up even as a rookie?

Pretty low on this team. There would have to be catastrophic injuries to clear up that kind of usage.

Those guys both got drafted onto teams in dire need of volume scoring. We have a ridiculous amount of scoring so Romeo will mostly be working with scraps.

Somewhere in between Rozier's and Jaylen's rookie year is what I'm expecting.

Closer to Rozier's, I'd say. Not because of Langford's play but because we are so stacked at the wing position. I suspect that Romeo gets a lot of time in Maine. Even though Romeo projects as a better player down the road, Edwards has a more immediately transferable game, with his instant offense repertoire.

Injries can change that of course. Until GH went down in the opener two years ago, it was unclear what sort of minutes rookie Tatum would get.

Elrod's take seems to be the prevailing wisdom. However I think Stevens will find time for both Edwards and Langford. Celts will spend a lot of time playing small.