Could Langford be a player?

[tonydelk]

I missed last night's game so I'm curious to hear from someone who watched about Langford's game.

Langford gets the start and plays almost 32 minutes. He goes 1-4 and has only 2 points but finishes +7. Stevens seems to trust him. How did he look out there?

He played great D.  Missed a few open shots.  Had a fantastic put back for his only made 2.  Wasn't aggressive at all with his offense.  Tatum also missed him for a dunk in the game as well.  Romeo plays extremely good D.  He needs to be a little more aggressive like PP.  PP isn't afraid to shoot the open shot and he's gonna get his.

He is fantastic on the defensive side of the ball. Those who were calling him a bust were totally wrong. His potential has already surpassed somebody like Matisse Thybulle, who looks to only be a defensive player.

I agree that he should be a little more like PP. Perhaps he has seen a bit of the blow-back guys like Semi and Grant get when they try to do too much, and is just trying to not upset the flow of the offense. The thing is, he has skills - and we do want to see them - but if he starts being too aggressive to the detriment of the offense, then he will get pulled.

I think things will begin to come naturally soon enough, but that's just the life of a role player. With Fournier coming back, his offensive opportunities will be even more limited, but his defensive presence will always be welcome.

I still want to see Romeo take open shots.  If he makes them at a decent level he's another guy you need to account for on the defensive end.  If a team knows they don't need to worry about Romeo they won't close out on him and will just assume he's going to move the ball.

I know Romeo hasn't played much this year and is still finding his footing but you have to take the open shot if you have it.  When Semi was on his hot streak guys were closing out on him hard and it opened up drives to the hoop.  Now Romeo has a much better handle and skill at driving to the hoop then Semi.  Romeo has shown he has decent passing instincts when he was playing PG against the Bulls.  If he shoots the open shot at starts hitting 3pt shots his driving ability will start to shine.  If he can go into the offseason healthy and just work on his shot and handle we will see a different player next year.

on a side note Nesmith's shot looked good and confident yesterday.

[Spicoli]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

[Jiri Welsch]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

You're right that he doesn't look good offensively. He also probably won't show significant improvement on that end from now until the end of the year.

I think that's fine for this season, though. The most important thing about Langford is he helps the C's on defense. When the Celtics are at their best, they're a good defensive team and he only helps in that regard. Langford going 1-4 most games is obviously not ideal. But when Fournier comes back I think Langford is a decent 9th man to throw out there.

He needs to be better at making cuts to the basket so he can get some easy buckets. But besides that I don't see his semi-broken jumper getting fixed by the end of the year. He also doesn't take it to the hoop with the intention of scoring. I think an improved offensive Romeo will happen after an offseason.

[Sophomore]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

When you say you didn’t see anything, were you watching his defense? I saw flashes of very high-level talent as an on-ball and team defender. Very good rebounder for a wing too.

His work on the other side hasn’t been good this year, but I am reserving judgment until he’s had more burn. Romeo has had less floor time than Rob needed before his breakout.

[Neurotic Guy]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

When you say you didn’t see anything, were you watching his defense? I saw flashes of very high-level talent as an on-ball and team defender. Very good rebounder for a wing too.

His work on the other side hasn’t been good this year, but I am reserving judgment until he’s had more burn. Romeo has had less floor time than Rob needed before his breakout.

Recalling Tony Allen who played tough D and could score better than Romeo at this point, but was also a turnover and mistake machine for a good while.   Romeo hasn’t found his way offensively yet but he’s not costly on that side of the ball.  I think he’s a smart player whose head is almost always in the game and he is going to improve leaps and bounds over the next few years.

[nickagneta]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

When you say you didn’t see anything, were you watching his defense? I saw flashes of very high-level talent as an on-ball and team defender. Very good rebounder for a wing too.

His work on the other side hasn’t been good this year, but I am reserving judgment until he’s had more burn. Romeo has had less floor time than Rob needed before his breakout.

Recalling Tony Allen who played tough D and could score better than Romeo at this point, but was also a turnover and mistake machine for a good while.   Romeo hasn’t found his way offensively yet but he’s not costly on that side of the ball.  I think he’s a smart player whose head is almost always in the game and he is going to improve leaps and bounds over the next few years.

Funny the Tony Allen comparison. People forget that Allen was a really good scorer at Oklahoma State and that just before he got severely injured in 2007, he had really come into his own on the offensive end.

Allen's last 14 games before he got hurt in 2007 was for 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists on 54/30/80 shooting splits for 56% TS%. Tony was really coming into his own on the offensive side.

But post injury, he lost a bunch of his athleticism and he was never the same offensively again.

My hope is that Romeo's wrist isn't Tony's knee and that it hurts who he could have become offensively. Defensively, I see a lot in common in the two.

[SHAQATTACK]

I like Romeo s intensity ,  just stay healthy and be a pest on defense and the offense can work it self out in the future.

[Spicoli]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

You're right that he doesn't look good offensively. He also probably won't show significant improvement on that end from now until the end of the year.

I think that's fine for this season, though. The most important thing about Langford is he helps the C's on defense. When the Celtics are at their best, they're a good defensive team and he only helps in that regard. Langford going 1-4 most games is obviously not ideal. But when Fournier comes back I think Langford is a decent 9th man to throw out there.

He needs to be better at making cuts to the basket so he can get some easy buckets. But besides that I don't see his semi-broken jumper getting fixed by the end of the year. He also doesn't take it to the hoop with the intention of scoring. I think an improved offensive Romeo will happen after an offseason.

He seems "solid" on defense. Nothing special. Someone mentioned Tony Allen and i could see right away that Tony Allen was a special defender. I could see right away that Thybulle was a special defender. I'm not seeing that with Langford. He is just "solid" on that end of the floor and on offense he's bad.

[Spicoli]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

When you say you didn’t see anything, were you watching his defense? I saw flashes of very high-level talent as an on-ball and team defender. Very good rebounder for a wing too.

His work on the other side hasn’t been good this year, but I am reserving judgment until he’s had more burn. Romeo has had less floor time than Rob needed before his breakout.

His defense isn't anything special. In the game against Portland Carmelo torched him. He torched everybody but Langford in particular looked helpless. Langford has good positioning and moves his feet well. He is solid on defense but he was known for offense coming out of college and his offense is a complete zero at this point.

[Jiri Welsch]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

You're right that he doesn't look good offensively. He also probably won't show significant improvement on that end from now until the end of the year.

I think that's fine for this season, though. The most important thing about Langford is he helps the C's on defense. When the Celtics are at their best, they're a good defensive team and he only helps in that regard. Langford going 1-4 most games is obviously not ideal. But when Fournier comes back I think Langford is a decent 9th man to throw out there.

He needs to be better at making cuts to the basket so he can get some easy buckets. But besides that I don't see his semi-broken jumper getting fixed by the end of the year. He also doesn't take it to the hoop with the intention of scoring. I think an improved offensive Romeo will happen after an offseason.

He seems "solid" on defense. Nothing special. Someone mentioned Tony Allen and i could see right away that Tony Allen was a special defender. I could see right away that Thybulle was a special defender. I'm not seeing that with Langford. He is just "solid" on that end of the floor and on offense he's bad.

Tony Allen was a generational wing defender. Anyone expecting him to be Tony Allen after 42 NBA games is not thinking clearly. 

Nonetheless, Romeo is a 21 year old wing with great length, High IQ, and he's on a rookie contract. He likely will grow into a guy who can defend 4 positions at an above-average clip. Two years ago he was a top prospect in his draft class, and he has the athletic ability to become a good offensive player. Langford will never become a Brown or Tatum, but for many players it takes a handful of years to grow into their potential. Think of Evan Turner, Jimmy Butler, Pascal Siakam, Hayward, etc. Not saying he will become an All-Star but it's super common for wing players to slowly progress for many seasons before they reach their potential. We need to give him some time and appreciate him for his strong points.

[Spicoli]

I'm not seeing it with Langford. He was supposed to be a good offensive player and finisher at the rim. So far he is neither? Yes he's raw and hasn't played but he hasn't even shown "flashes" of anything.

You're right that he doesn't look good offensively. He also probably won't show significant improvement on that end from now until the end of the year.

I think that's fine for this season, though. The most important thing about Langford is he helps the C's on defense. When the Celtics are at their best, they're a good defensive team and he only helps in that regard. Langford going 1-4 most games is obviously not ideal. But when Fournier comes back I think Langford is a decent 9th man to throw out there.

He needs to be better at making cuts to the basket so he can get some easy buckets. But besides that I don't see his semi-broken jumper getting fixed by the end of the year. He also doesn't take it to the hoop with the intention of scoring. I think an improved offensive Romeo will happen after an offseason.

He seems "solid" on defense. Nothing special. Someone mentioned Tony Allen and i could see right away that Tony Allen was a special defender. I could see right away that Thybulle was a special defender. I'm not seeing that with Langford. He is just "solid" on that end of the floor and on offense he's bad.

Tony Allen was a generational wing defender. Anyone expecting him to be Tony Allen after 42 NBA games is not thinking clearly. 

Nonetheless, Romeo is a 21 year old wing with great length, High IQ, and he's on a rookie contract. He likely will grow into a guy who can defend 4 positions at an above-average clip. Two years ago he was a top prospect in his draft class, and he has the athletic ability to become a good offensive player. Langford will never become a Brown or Tatum, but for many players it takes a handful of years to grow into their potential. Think of Evan Turner, Jimmy Butler, Pascal Siakam, Hayward, etc. Not saying he will become an All-Star but it's super common for wing players to slowly progress for many seasons before they reach their potential. We need to give him some time and appreciate him for his strong points.

Langford is a project i agree but we really won't know what we have until he starts asserting himself. He passes the ball like it's hot potatoe. I really do want him to succeed. He was the 14th pick and we NEED him to pan out. I'm rooting for the kid but right now Nesmith looks like a more promising player in my eyes.

[Jiri Welsch]

Langford is a project i agree but we really won't know what we have until he starts asserting himself. He passes the ball like it's hot potatoe. I really do want him to succeed. He was the 14th pick and we NEED him to pan out. I'm rooting for the kid but right now Nesmith looks like a more promising player in my eyes.

I'm curious what about Nesmith makes him seem more promising? I trust Brad's talent evaluation based on his last 8 years of coaching. And he clearly trusts Romeo more at this juncture to play important minutes. Nesmith has no shot at getting playoff minutes, whereas Langford is almost certain to get some.
 

[nickagneta]

Langford is a project i agree but we really won't know what we have until he starts asserting himself. He passes the ball like it's hot potatoe. I really do want him to succeed. He was the 14th pick and we NEED him to pan out. I'm rooting for the kid but right now Nesmith looks like a more promising player in my eyes.

I'm curious what about Nesmith makes him seem more promising? I trust Brad's talent evaluation based on his last 8 years of coaching. And he clearly trusts Romeo more at this juncture to play important minutes. Nesmith has no shot at getting playoff minutes, whereas Langford is almost certain to get some.

Probably recency bias. Aaron hit two threes last game. Romeo didn't.

[Spicoli]

Langford is a project i agree but we really won't know what we have until he starts asserting himself. He passes the ball like it's hot potatoe. I really do want him to succeed. He was the 14th pick and we NEED him to pan out. I'm rooting for the kid but right now Nesmith looks like a more promising player in my eyes.

I'm curious what about Nesmith makes him seem more promising? I trust Brad's talent evaluation based on his last 8 years of coaching. And he clearly trusts Romeo more at this juncture to play important minutes. Nesmith has no shot at getting playoff minutes, whereas Langford is almost certain to get some.

Nesmith hustles just as much as Langford. He plays HARD. He gets beat on defense but so does Langford. Langford is not locking anyone up neither is Nesmith but Nesmith is worlds better on offense. Nesmith plays with CONFIDENCE and you can tell he wants to be great. Langford is just out there doing what exactly?

[Spicoli]

Langford is a project i agree but we really won't know what we have until he starts asserting himself. He passes the ball like it's hot potatoe. I really do want him to succeed. He was the 14th pick and we NEED him to pan out. I'm rooting for the kid but right now Nesmith looks like a more promising player in my eyes.

I'm curious what about Nesmith makes him seem more promising? I trust Brad's talent evaluation based on his last 8 years of coaching. And he clearly trusts Romeo more at this juncture to play important minutes. Nesmith has no shot at getting playoff minutes, whereas Langford is almost certain to get some.

Probably recency bias. Aaron hit two threes last game. Romeo didn't.

Nesmith wants to be great. He is an aggressive player which is much better than a passive player like Langford?