Oft-injured rookie shooting guard Romeo Langford will soon be back on the court, but has kept in good spirits despite missing much of his inaugural season in the league.
Even before the Boston Celtics selected the Indiana product with the 14th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, he was dealing with injury.
Plagued with a torn ligaments in his thumb that were a likely factor in the former Hoosier’s poor-shooting (and only) season at the NCAA level, Langford fell to Boston’s range in the draft, yet remained something of a mystery as his recovery kept him out of Las Vegas Summer League.
During preseason, a groin issue kept him on the bench. Soon after, upon getting well enough to play in his G League assignment with the Maine Red Claws, the New Albany native sprained his knee.
Here's Romeo Langford hurting his right ankle in Maine and limping off. pic.twitter.com/FDsj3gj2Bg
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) November 16, 2019
Almost immediately after recovering from that, Langford sprained his ankle playing with the Claws on Nov.15th, bringing yet another sustained absence before the NBA season was even a quarter-way done.
“It’s definitely annoying,” Langford offered (via the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach). “It’s hard to be battling these injuries and then finally getting back and thinking things start going well, and then something small happens.
“But I’ve just got to keep staying positive and don’t get down on myself because it’s a long season, a long career, a long journey,” he added. “There’s a lot of basketball ahead of me.”
With Boston’s exceptional wing depth and a large, competent rookie class, Langford’s services have not been especially missed. But, his inability to stay healthy enough to put in work on his game would frustrate anyone.
Still, the rookie’s stoic response to his seemingly endless maladies has left an impression on Boston’s coaching staff. “[H]e’s got great emotional maturity for his age,” explained Joe Mazzulla, an assistant coach assigned to work with Langford. “To be 20 years old and go through some of the stuff that he has to this point, I think he handles things very well.”
New: ”I’ve just got to keep staying positive and not get down on myself, because it’s a long season, a long career, a long journey. There’s a lot of basketball ahead of me.” Romeo Langford says he should be back next week and he’s keeping a steady mindset: https://t.co/YUsWVeksrA
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 28, 2019
Mazzulla, in fact, has spent much time with Langford studying film with the young guard during his numerous rehab stints, the latest of which looks to end soon after being able to participate in shooting drills, with anticipation he’ll be ready for full practices in the coming week.
“He’s a great student of the game,” Mazzulla related. “He loves to play basketball and watch basketball. He’s a smart player. When you show him something once, he can usually translate it onto the floor.”
Of course, this has been the issue over the early weeks of Langford’s young career — staying healthy has robbed him not only of a chance to show the skills he has, but also of what he’s learned since joining an NBA franchise with all its attendant perks.
“I think for him it’s just a matter of getting reps,” said Mazzulla.
With a little luck, he should finally start to get them soon.