Stevens: rookie Romeo Langford practiced, said wrist ‘felt better’

Boston Celtics rookie shooting guard Romeo Langford is feeling better, and might play vs. the 76ers Monday according to head coach Brad Stevens.

It seems there’s a chance the basketball gods have finally given rookie shooting guard Romeo Langford a break this season.

With injuries marring his sole season at Indiana University all the way through his inaugural campaign with the Boston Celtics, it often times seemed as if the Indiana native couldn’t catch a break in the health department.

Midway through the second half of the last game of the 2019-20 regular season, in a meaningless game against the Washington Wizards bench, Langford sprained his wrist, tearing tendons and looking unlikely to see floor time in the postseason with yet another injury.

Sunday afternoon, however, Boston head coach Brad Stevens relayed a potentially different outcome for the rookie.

“Romeo practiced,” said Stevens. “He said he felt better today, which is good.”

Asked if Lanford would be suited up, the Celtics coach played it close to the vest.

“I don’t know yet — we’ll talk to the training staff, and we’ll talk more about that, but [Vincent Poirier] was the only one who didn’t practice; [he had] a little bit of a groin strain … but Romeo did. He went through everything and said he felt fine.”

A few hours later, the team had indeed listed Vinny Sexpants (it is very hard to not make a joke about a groin injury given that nickname for Poirier, so we won’t) as probable — and Langford as questionable.

At least in this series, it’s more about getting the young prospect minutes to prepare him to soak up at least some of Gordon Hayward’s floor time when the Butler product leaves the bubble for a few games for the birth of his child-

But, any opportunity for Langford to get such high-level play under his belt is important — and not just for the playoffs.

The litany of injuries the former Hoosier has had to work through has hampered his development as a player, and while he’s still very young, the cumulative effect on anyone’s psyche of having to take time off to heal can’t be pleasant.

Let’s hope Landford can get some burn monday evening — and let’s hope that whatever ails his wrist is the last injury he has to deal with for a very long while.

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