Boston Celtics rookie wing Romeo Langford has been — until recently — something of a basketball enigma.
Like Schrodinger’s cat, the Indiana product was somehow both a bust and potential star simultaneously, his recurrent injuries either masking his massive potential or hiding the fact he was a bust, depending on who you asked.
The truth is probably closer to the former, though the young player admittedly has had some extraordinarily bad luck with minor injuries since a more serious one robbed him of his shot and sent him tumbling in the 2019 NBA draft to Boston’s range at 14th overall.
That injury, a torn ligament, needed a long recovery and trying to play through it in his sole season with the Hoosiers probably did the Indiana native little good in terms of his draft stock.
Smooth☘️ https://t.co/yvlNuTfC3u
— Danny Ainge (@danielrainge) December 21, 2019
The series of ankle and knee sprains which followed his first months with the Celtics, allowing us the tiniest of glimpses in Las Vegas Summer League, preseason, and the G League, have only contributed to the Schrodinger’s Langford mystique.
But now, we’ve got some live, NBA regular-season game time to look at Langford’s performance is, and to tell the truth, the kid’s not bad for a rookie.
True, he was once projected as a high lottery pick, but fans often forget only a handful of prospects can stay on the floor in their first season in the league, and while the 20-year-old’s body has been working overtime to deny him floortime with any team this season, he’s put together two solid outings in a row recently.
Starting with Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, New Albany’s favorite son scored his first bucket in the Association, a neat layup off of a pick-and-roll with teammate Enes Kanter, having gone scoreless in his second game at the NBA level against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 18.
(Langford also played for the Celtics against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 30th for a mere 14 seconds, going scoreless.)
He would go on to hit a floater off an assist by Kemba Walker and another he created for himself later in the game to total six points and a pair of steals over 18 minutes, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor.
No over-eagerness, no sloppy play (just one turnover on the night) — just efficient reserve play against a quality opponent.
Langford would answer the call impressively two days later on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets, logging 8 points, 4 rebounds and a block with 3-of-6 shooting (and 2-of-3 from deep) over 23 minutes.
That’s an impressive stat line for any reserve, never mind a rookie who seemingly couldn’t glance at a parquet without getting hurt over the last several months.
Langford’s obscurity behind a resurgent Celtics franchise and their many other higher-profile injuries (to say nothing of Tacko Mania and the more tangible impacts of his fellow rookies) has probably shielded him from the scrutiny a highly-regarded lottery pick like himself might otherwise receive.
Romeo! pic.twitter.com/h7EnAUP9lt
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) December 22, 2019
With so many maladies of his own, minor or not, the former Hoosier might have faced the same kind of pressure that ultimately proved too much for the likes of James Young, R.J. Hunter, and several other prospects who ultimately did not work out for Boston.
That the rookie has not clamored for more playing time given his pedigree is also promising, and defends very well as a rookie, a rare quality that sends many an offensive wunderkind to the bench quickly in their first season.
While it’s much, much too soon to make pronouncements about Langford’s future with the Celtics, one thing can be said with certainty: Romeo belongs in this league, and he’s already contributing to winning basketball.
That’s no small feat, and with time, he’s only going to get better.
The question is: just how much?