I think one important point of the article is that you can't lump guys like Romeo or Nesmith (late lottery picks) with guys like Grant Williams, Carson Edwards, etc. (late first round/ second round picks) because they were picked high for a reason, and need time to develop before you can really assess their value.
You can't lump guys together regardless of their draft position. Everyone has their own trajectory.
Fans seem to have forgotten how much Grant Williams contributed to the ECF run last season - he played rotation minutes as a rookie.
Langford is like Robert Williams in that he has intriguing talent but due to injury has had little time to develop and improve. He might as well be a rookie for the amount of time he has missed.
He hasn't gotten court time, but apart from that he's getting a lot of time to develop and improve since he doesn't have to travel with the team. In fact, he'd better be working doggedly on his game because he's got competition.
I'm encouraged that you find him to have "intriguing talent", because what he did well last year is mostly not the kind of thing that's being seen by fans.
He was a really poor shooter - no way to sugarcoat it. Since his main competition is Aaron Nesmith, who's already shooting at decent rates, he's got some ways to go. I would agree that shooting is not everything (though it's the most valuable NBA skill); but management has to look at how players complement each other also. A big breakthrough in shooting (and Romeo needs a big one) would give him a more secure future with Boston, since it would make him more complementary to the team's stars.
So would moving the ball and making a play. He showed very little ability at making plays for teammates in his rookie year (Short-term, at least, getting more of that is an urgent matter for the team, which likely will make it harder for him to get on the court once he does come back.)
He plays physical defense, gives up his body, and anticipates well (taking charges is the quickest way to a coach's heart); he'll be a very good defender in his career.
He's got an ability to put it on the deck and draw fouls; he was a C+ FT shooter, but that will surely improve.
I hear people suggest that he's injury-prone. I don't put too much store in that, though it's ironically a wrist injury that's keeping him out, since shooting is the critical thing for him to level up.
Trade packages involving Rob Williams on this board a year ago, or even at the start of the year, treated him like a throw in, salary filler. His value to the team has obviously outperformed that marker quite significantly. Why? Because he has finally gotten minutes to show what he can do, reduce his mistakes, and get better.
Unfortunately Rob has not improved his Turnover% this season - at least not yet. The big problem is bad passes - he's a brilliant passer (and a willing one), but he's impulsive. Brad asks two things of everyone: work like hell on defense, and take care of the ball. TL has been acknowledged recently for his aggressiveness on D; he's just
got to value the ball more.