Romeo Langford(merged threads)

[Neurotic Guy]

You have to love it when you watch a 20 year old go out and look like he belongs amongst the men of the NBA.

[jambr380]

One thing I like about Romeo is that he makes things look effortless and the dude does not appear to sweat.  He almost has a feline grace to him.  He is really light on his feet and is an active defender who gets in passing lanes.  I hope him in rotation sticks are guys come back from injuries.

Yeah, he plays very controlled and changes speeds effortlessly - especially in the lane and in traffic. This was immediately noticeable in his highlights after he was drafted and why the James Young comparisons were way off-base. Like, the only thing we were hoping for from guys like Young and Hunter was that their 3-pt shot would translate to the NBA (it didn't). Romeo seemingly does everything else extremely well and just needs to work on his 3-pt shot to become a complete player.

It's easy to see why he was so highly rated coming out of high school. His drives and touch haven't been all that surprising, but I am very impressed with his defense. The knock on him (other than his outside shot) was that he was a low-energy guy who got lost when he wasn't involved in the play - I am not seeing that on either side of the ball so far.

[rollie mass]

Romeo's dad taught him to be stoic, so don't let that fool you .
Even his smooth change of speed seems unhurried, its a gift  .He plays with a low center of gravity and seems to have good core strength that helps getting around screens.
 My favorite part wingspan and standing reach. This gives him ability to bother shots from behind, interfere with passing lanes and bother shooters closing out on the perimeter. I think he will pick his share of pockets reaching in.

 If I remember correctly, his dad had him playing football to toughen him up . It worked,he not only took one hard charge but a second without a flinch. While he was freshman, Romeo played  through pain as well as being handicapped with thumb ligament damage which had to effect ball control and shooting,,He didn't want to let his teammates down. 
 If Romeo elected for season ending surgery and he could possibly been a top five lottery pick.
A loyal, play through pain teammate,an elite scorer through contact with length and deceptive fluidity.
One of first in the gym and ends workouts in the weight room.
Danny pulled one out of the hat.

I read a breakdown of his defence in two previous games to Atlanta and it was elite, even while guarding 6-7 Fornier.
Yesterday was a breakout game offensively, taking charges ,blocking shots and rebounding.
Romeo may have landed in the perfect situation ,a young sports city, surrounded with hard working young players and vets. A calming coach and Danny Ainge.

A 20year old boy played a mans game against Atlanta and a 21 year old all star played like one.

While 42 year Vince Carter bowed out gracefully and received a piece of old garden parquet and a framed photo scoring his first NBA point. It just happened to be against the Celtics in the old Garden with those Boston fans screaming "you suck". That is what he remembers.
 A very special piece of history for him---
 Great job Celtics organization.

[PAOBoston]

I’ve been super impressed with his defense. That wasn’t really the book on him coming out of college.

[Donoghus]

It's not fair to label someone a bust after 5 games?  You don't say?

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I'm worried about his shooting stroke. I don't like the fundamentals of the way he pulls his shooting hand in front of his face and cocks the ball way back on his palm. Stuff like that causes inconsistencies.

I think he can shoot well enough so that teams don't give him the Fultz treatment, but the real success of his game will be his driving to the rim and second level scoring.

[RockinRyA]

I'm worried about his shooting stroke. I don't like the fundamentals of the way he pulls his shooting hand in front of his face and cocks the ball way back on his palm. Stuff like that causes inconsistencies.

I think he can shoot well enough so that teams don't give him the Fultz treatment, but the real success of his game will be his driving to the rim and second level scoring.

He's working on it. I think if he didnt get injured so much it wouldve been further along. This offseason is crucial for his development.

[nickagneta]

What I loved was the defensive coaching that he obviously absorbed. When guarding his man out top his knees were bent, his arms up and he shuffled and moved laterally without crossing the feet. He did the same when people tried to drive on him, taking the contact to the body and staying between the basket and his man while directing the player baseline or into help.

I didn't see this out of him at Indiana. His defensive intensity and fundamentals were inconsistent to say the least in college. But Stevens' defense first philosophy has got into the kid and you can see how well he has been coached and how well he took to coaching.

Being coachable is huge. Showing that the coaching has translated to his game is even more huge.

Now let's see the consistency.

Oh, and as long as his defense remains like it has, his mature driving, cutting and scoring game will just be a major plus.

[Tr1boy]

I'm worried about his shooting stroke. I don't like the fundamentals of the way he pulls his shooting hand in front of his face and cocks the ball way back on his palm. Stuff like that causes inconsistencies.

I think he can shoot well enough so that teams don't give him the Fultz treatment, but the real success of his game will be his driving to the rim and second level scoring.

It is so much better than a few months ago

He pretzelled his knees, foot pointed who knows where

Yesterday he made 2 3s. And there was pressure. His wrist snap is a little unorthodox but the follow through is there

I just want him to shoot and not pass up open shots like he did a few games ago vs Magic. I think he got the memo from coaching staff

[liam]

What I loved was the defensive coaching that he obviously absorbed. When guarding his man out top his knees were bent, his arms up and he shuffled and moved laterally without crossing the feet. He did the same when people tried to drive on him, taking the contact to the body and staying between the basket and his man while directing the player baseline or into help.

I didn't see this out of him at Indiana. His defensive intensity and fundamentals were inconsistent to say the least in college. But Stevens' defense first philosophy has got into the kid and you can see how well he has been coached and how well he took to coaching.

Being coachable is huge. Showing that the coaching has translated to his game is even more huge.

Now let's see the consistency.

Oh, and as long as his defense remains like it has, his mature driving, cutting and scoring game will just be a major plus.

Makes a huge difference where these players get drafted. If he went to the Suns or Wolves or a team like that they would've let him keep all his bad habits but when you go to a good team you really have to work to get on the court. So much talent gets wasted that goes to teams with poor culture. Tatum's defense has improved more than his offense.

[tstorey_97]

Watched HS and college vids on Romeo and he just didn't look like more than a "draft pick".

Even in g league, he looks ok, but not spectacular.

I am not a talent evaluator, but, have always wondered how NBA scouts/mgt "project" players. Tatum is for real now, but, to me, his college and rookie games weren't amazing.

Each player, I suppose, has their "arc."

He looked quite good against an OK Hawks team. These Hawks played very hard on defense in the fourth. I was impressed.

Romeo is smooth. His motions, of all types, are fluid and seemingly in the correct direction for the play. His defensive movements look good and he doesn't get beat that much....for a guy who hasn't played at all in the NBA. He can jump and is accurate when he does.
His hands don't seem laser beam fast, but, he doesn't waste movements anyways. He doesn't get "excited" and he doesn't "droop". (take note Javonte Green). Body language is part of the game.

On offense his moves to the rim are potentially extraordinary. He has gotten clocked underneath a couple of times, but, I bet he figures it out. Like his movements in general, his shots are right and his form looks right. Last night he got to shoot some and did well with it.

If you watch the handful of baskets he has, he uses the glass and his hands are soft. No tomahawk activity here for the moment.

All of this talk about Romeo and Grant say one thing. Stevens does not give young players a chance and it hurts their development.

With Theis, Hayward, Brown and half of the Celtic's dancers on the bench with injuries?

Grant + Romeo = 56 minutes -  8 for 16 -- 23 points  -- 4 blocks -- 3 for 5 from 3pt

Take that, Brad.

[Vermont Green]

I was high on him even before his recent play, or at least not down on him.  He is 20 years old.  I agree with all the comments about how he seems to move on the court and have a natural feel for the game.  You could see that even in the highlights from the G League games.

He has a lot of maturing and learning still to go.  It is always hard to quantify where a rookie is at, much less project what he will be but I think Avery Bradley is a reasonable comparison.  I would say that Romeo is ahead of where Avery was his rookie year.  At a minimum, Romeo should project to be better than Avery Bradley based on what he has shown so far, but the potential ceiling is higher than it every was for Bradley.

Not bad for the 14th pick.  We have some depth at his position with Smart, Brown, and even Hayward essentially all able to play regularly as a SG.  Nice asset to have though to either include in a trade directly or to replace Hayward at some point.

[W8ting2McHale]

Stevens gives young players a chance when they are ready. Grant was ready early due to his BBIQ and longer college career, and he has been playing and contributing. Romeo hasn’t been ready because his various injuries kept him out of the practices and preseason games that would have helped him get ready and he is still otherwise young and inexperienced.

Now Romeo is finally ready and he is earning playing time. The myth that Brad doesn’t play young guys needs to die.

[footey]

Stevens gives young players a chance when they are ready. Grant was ready early due to his BBIQ and longer college career, and he has been playing and contributing. Romeo hasn’t been ready because his various injuries kept him out of the practices and preseason games that would have helped him get ready and he is still otherwise young and inexperienced.

Now Romeo is finally ready and he is earning playing time. The myth that Brad doesn’t play young guys needs to die.

Yes, Williams more game ready, due to his having a couple of extra years of college experience. But as Danny indicated on radio the other day, Romeo's lack of opportunity earlier in the season was mostly driven by his being injured and little else.  His upside is higher than Williams' too, which is why he was picked considerably higher in the draft. No knock on Grant.

[nickagneta]

All of this talk about Romeo and Grant say one thing. Stevens does not give young players a chance and it hurts their development.

With Theis, Hayward, Brown and half of the Celtic's dancers on the bench with injuries?

Grant + Romeo = 56 minutes -  8 for 16 -- 23 points  -- 4 blocks -- 3 for 5 from 3pt

Take that, Brad.

What are you talking about?

Stevens went with Smart and Tatum, as rookies, getting starters minutes. One was All-Defense lat year and the other is now an All-Star turning into a superstar two way player.

Brown got  a bunch of time as a rookie and started in year 2, he is now a star.

Rozier was a late rotational player by year two and developed further to the point where he is now a team's starting PG.

Timelord, in his first year saw spot minutes but before getting hurt was getting 14 MPG in his second year and the development between year one and two was tremendous.

Grant has been fed minutes since day one and 50 games into his career, he is a rotational player.

Romeo has been hurt since the summer with a number of different problems and unable to get a lot of practice and workout time with the team, yet Stevens trusted him to start two games and got great minutes and it's paid off. You can see a difference in the kid from college to now.

Stevens has shown no problem giving young guys minutes and his development of players, IMO, has been excellent. I am really not sure what you are talking about here.