The first-round pick only had six points but it was his defensive effort that kept him on the floor for a season-high 28 minutes.
With Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart out on Wednesday night, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens turned to Romeo Langford and the rookie came through in his first career start.
The 14th overall pick recorded six points, one rebound and one block in the 116-110 win over the Orlando Magic but it was his defensive effort that helped keep him on the floor for a season-high 28 minutes.
Langford earned crunch-time minutes as he helped close out the game late against the Magic. He helped draw a key offensive foul on Markelle Fultz and had a late dunk to punctuate the victory.
On one possession, Langford locked up Evan Fournier, blocked the shot and helped create a fastbreak opportunity that led to a pullup jumper by Jaylen Brown on the other end.
Romeo Langford gets the block that leads to Jaylen Brown scoring on the other end
Overall, the Celtics have to be happy with the effort Langford provided on Wednesday. He showed strong defensive instincts, made effort plays and even drew a charge in the game, which typically goes a long way with teammates and coaches.
The Celtics won’t need Langford to start much this season once Walker and Smart return but it is certainly encouraging that they can count on him in select situations.
Boston Celtics two way point guard Tremont Waters continues to excel in the G League, scoring 21 in the Red Claws latest win while teammate Romeo Langford put up 14 points of his own.
The Maine Red Claws extended their win streak to three games, and Boston Celtics two way point guard Tremont Waters was a major part of the reason why.
The LSU product continues to excel in the G League with Boston’s development league affiliate, putting up 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block in the Claws 110-103 victory over the Westchester Knicks, the G League affiliate of the eponymous New York team.
He had help from a Celtics teammate, Boston’s No. 14 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Romeo Langford, who had one of his better games with Maine. The Indiana native logged 14 points, a board and a block, though his 4-of-12 shooting clearly still needs some work.
The duo helped push the Red Claws to a tie for the third-best record in the G League as a whole, and second in that league’s East standings with a 20-7 record, trailing only the Wisconsin Herd, the developmental affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Red Claws next face the Westchester Knicks at home at the Portland Expo Building on Friday, Jan. 31st.
Although Zion Williamson will be sidelined due to injury, plenty of other rookie players should see some action on Christmas Day.
The 72nd edition of the NBA on Christmas Day will feature five games throughout the day with the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors getting things started at 12 p.m. ET.
The NBA will have five Christmas Day games for the 12th year in a row as ESPN and ABC will combine to broadcast each game. Four of the five games will be first-time matchups on the holiday.
The full five-game Christmas Day schedule:
Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors: 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers: 2:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors: 5 p.m. (ABC)
L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers: 8 p.m. (ABC & ESPN)
New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets: 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
While the full slate of games will be headlined by the likes of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and others, several first-year players will also make their holiday debuts.
Of course, the last game of the day will be without Zion Williamson as he recovers from knee surgery on Oct. 21. Although the No. 1 pick will be sidelined, plenty of other rookie players should see some action on Christmas Day.
Note: Injured players were not included
Grant Williams, Celtics
(Photo by Rick Scuteri/USA TODAY Sports)
Williams is coming off of his best two-game swing of the season after totaling 30 points. The first-round pick often contributes his energy and playmaking off the bench and is beginning to see more playing time as a result.
Romeo Langford, Celtics
(Photo by Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)
Langford is finally healthy and contributing for the Celtics. After dealing with a number of injuries, Langford recorded a season-high eight points and four rebounds Sunday night in a 119-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He appears to be ready to contribute and could see more action on Wednesday.
Carsen Edwards, Celtics
(Photo by Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports)
Edwards recently re-joined the Celtics after a four-game stint with the Maine Red Claws in the G League. Edwards averaged 21.8 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and three steals for the Red Claws. He appears to be back with the Celtics for now though it is unclear if he will play on Wednesday.
Tremont Waters, Celtics
(Photo by Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
Waters has spent the majority of the season in the G League. In 13 games played, he is averaging 20.1 points, 7.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals. He is 12th in the G League in assists and 12th in steals. With the Red Claws off until Friday, Waters will likely be with the Celtics.
Tacko Fall, Celtics
(Photo by David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports)
With the Celtics dealing with injuries to centers Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier, Fall has been on the active roster recently. Fall has three appearances with the Celtics this season, totaling 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Terence Davis, Raptors
(Photo by Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports)
The undrafted guard has earned significant playing time for head coach Nick Nurse and he has taken advantage of it. Davis is averaging 6.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 30 games this season, including a career-high 19 points against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 20.
Chris Clemons, Rockets
(Photo by Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports)
The two-way rookie has contributed sporadically for the Rockets this season. Clemons has scored at least 15 points four different times and has given the Rockets a boost of offense off of the bench. His play has him on the verge of earning a standard NBA deal.
Eric Paschall, Warriors
(Photo by Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports)
After a strong start to his rookie campaign, Paschall has dealt with a few injuries recently. He has been dealing with a sore hip and suffered a knee injury, causing him to leave early on Friday against the Pelicans. Paschall played on Monday, a good indication he should be able to go on Wednesday.
Jordan Poole, Warriors
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
With the Warriors battling through injuries for much of the season, Poole has been used quite frequently. His playing time has dropped recently, though, after struggling with his shot. In 29 games, Poole is averaging 7.1 points and shooting just 25.4% from the field.
Ky Bowman, Warriors
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Warriors have leaned quite a bit on two-way guard Ky Bowman so it is unclear if he will play but he has produced when called upon. Bowman is posting 8.3 points and 2.7 assists in 27 games this season and recently recorded two points in 22 minutes on Monday.
Mfiondu Kabengele, Clippers
(Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
The first-round has shuttled between the NBA and G League this season, playing only mostly in mop-up duty with the Varsity squad. In the G League, though, Kabengele has been a monster after dropping 36 points and 12 rebounds on Dec. 12.
Terance Mann, Clippers
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Like Kabengele, Mann has been used periodically for the Clippers though has started five games for head coach Doc Rivers. Mann hasn’t played in five games so, like Kabengele, may not see much time on Christmas Day.
Jaxson Hayes, Pelicans
(Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
Without Zion Williamson, Hayes has been top rookie on the Pelicans. In 28 games, Hayes is averaging 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Hayes recently scored in double figures in five of seven games but has cooled off since then, totaling just 12 points over his last three games.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Pelicans
(Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images)
Alexander-Walker has had a few spurts this season in which he has flashed his potential but has struggled to stay consistent with inconsistent playing time. He recently fell out of the rotation and may not see a ton of time on Wednesday.
Michael Porter Jr., Nuggets
(Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Nuggets have been trying to find more playing time for their redshirt freshman but have been unsuccessful in doing so. The team has been rumored to be shopping Malik Beasley, which would open the door for Porter, but the team has not yet moved him.
The 14th overall pick recorded a season-high eight points and four rebounds Sunday night in a 119-93 win over the Hornets.
After dealing with a slew of injuries to begin his professional career, Boston Celtics first-round pick Romeo Langford is finally healthy and contributing in the NBA.
Langford did not play with the Celtics in Summer League after recovering from offseason thumb surgery from an injury suffered last year at Indiana. He was cleared ahead of training camp but would endure a knee injury and a pair of right ankle sprains since the start of the year.
The 14th overall pick recorded a season-high eight points and four rebounds Sunday night in a 119-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Langford logged 23 minutes in the contest and went 3-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
The rookie guard spent some time in the G League with the Maine Red Claws on a rehab assignment and recently re-joined the Celtics. Langford logged five minutes for the Celtics last Wednesday and played 17 minutes on Friday prior to playing on Sunday.
In a limited sample, the Celtics caught a small glimpse into what Langford can bring to the team. He is capable of taking it to the basket, stepping out and hitting 3-pointers and is a good defender. In five appearances in the G League, Langford tallied nine blocks and looked to be active on the defensive end.
The Celtics have started off the season on an incredible run, posting a 20-7 record in the Eastern Conference. Playing time may be sporadic for Langford but the rookie appears to be ready for a bigger role moving forward.
The Boston Celtics’ 14th overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, wing Romeo Langford, is finally staying healthy enough to have an impact in games that count.
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.
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.
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 Boston Celtics have recalled rookie wing Romeo Langford to Boston ahead of their Dec. 18 meeting with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Boston Celtics have recalled rookie wing Romeo Langford from the Maine Red Claws, reports the team.
Langford, who returned to action with the Claws on Dec. 15 in a game against the Detroit Pistons’ G League team, the Grand Rapids Drive, has spent much time this season recovering from a series of minor injuries.
With few minutes to spare on the wing for the Indiana product, Langford has been shuttling to and from the Celtics’ G League team to the parent club to get minutes, but the reasoning for the current move is unclear.
Boston does not play again until Wednesday, when they face off against a Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks, so the team may just be bringing Langford along to be able to practice with the parent club while remaining available to play against Dallas.
The Claws play the Canton Charge in Las Vegas the next day, Dec. 19, and with Texas considerably closer to Las Vegas than Maine, the move makes sense even if it’s only a logistical move to have the Indianapolis native fly west with the team.
Celtics rookies Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters led the Maine Red Claws to victory in the G League on Sunday.
Boston Celtics rookies Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters combined to score 56 points on Sunday for the Maine Red Claws in a 108-103 victory over the Grand Rapids Drive.
Edwards tallied 28 points, six steals, five assists and three rebounds as he finished by shooting 9-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
The Celtics assigned Edwards to the Red Claws on Thursday after receiving little playing time. Edwards made his G League debut on Friday, recording 17 points in a win over the Iowa Wolves.
Meanwhile, Waters also scored 28 points in the win while he added five rebounds, four assists, three steals. The second-round pick shot 6-of-11 from the field and went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Of course, the Celtics have quite a few first-year players within their organization that played with Maine on Sunday:
Tacko Fall: The 7-foot-5 center with six points, four rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes off of the bench. The game marked his second appearance back after missing five games due to a bone bruise on his right knee.
Romeo Langford: Langford went scoreless in 19 minutes of action as he missed all five shot attempts while he added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
With several contributors on the Celtics, the team hasn’t quite had enough minutes for their crop of rookies. The G League has provided the young guys an opportunity to stay sharp and develop on the court and the team certainly has to feel confident with how they’ve played thus far.
Next up for Maine: A road matchup on Thursday vs. the Canton Charge.
Rookie players Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards will join the Maine Red Claws on assignment in the G League.
The Boston Celtics have assigned rookies Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards to the Maine Red Claws of the G League, the team announced Thursday morning.
Langford, the 14th overall pick, has not appeared in a game since Dec. 1 when he re-injured his right ankle on assignment with the Red Claws. He logged 18 minutes in that game before exiting in the fourth quarter after rolling it.
Langford has been with the Celtics rehabbing since suffering the injury and recently began to practice with the team. He was activated on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers but did not play as he made his return to his home state.
The former Indiana guard has dealt with his fair share of injuries this year. He did not play in Summer League after recovering from offseason thumb surgery and he also suffered a knee sprain and a groin injury to go along with his sprained ankle.
Langford has three appearances in the G League this season but left one of those games after just seven minutes when he initially rolled his right ankle. He recorded 27 points in his G League debut on Nov. 9.
Meanwhile, the stint in the G League for Edwards will be his second of the season after practicing with the Red Claws last month. The second-round pick has not seen much playing time with the Celtics as of late and the team likely wants him to get some work in as the Red Claws play on Friday night.
In 21 games, Edwards is averaging 3.9 points and 1.7 rebounds for the Celtics. His best performance came on Nov. 13 when he recorded a career-high 18 points in 20 minutes of work.
The Boston Celtics slowly lurch towards health ahead of Wednesday night’s match against the Indiana Pacers with Robert Williams (hip) and Romeo Langford (ankle) out, and Marcus Smart (eye) questionable.
The Boston Celtics play their first game of a away-home back-to-back at the Indiana Pacers, and they’ll do it without Robert Williams III and Indiana native Romeo Langford.
The Texas A&M product has been dealing with a sore left hip that also kept him out of Monday night’s shellacking of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Langford, while poised to return from a sprained ankle, isn’t quite ready to resume basketball activities just yet.
Defensive menace Marcus Smart is listed as “questionable” after also missing the Cavaliers game due to an eye infection, with both he and Langford beset with a seemingly endless list of minor maladies so far this season.
The Texan guard has been able to power through most of his issues, save a re-injury of obliques which saw him miss a stretch of games last season.
The hit, sustained against the New York Knicks on Dec. 1, forced the Oklahoma State product to sit a single game against the Miami Heat, only to see his body demand more time off with the eye infection at hand after a short return vs. the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 6.
Langford has only logged a single minute with the parent club as much from his own cavalcade of injuries as his inexperience, the Indianapolis native even having a hard time staying healthy to log significant minutes with Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.
The Indiana product will travel with the team despite being unable to play, reports NBC Sports’ A. Sherrod Blakely, who will have a small army in attendance to support Langford’s team even though he won’t be dressing.
“It’ll be good, just to be back. I haven’t been back home in a while,” offered the oft-injured rookie.
No word on whether Smart, Boston’s longest-tenured player, will make the trip, but it may be wiser to take another game off to give his banged-up body a bit of a breather.
With All-Star forward Gordon Hayward returning to form and a potential revenge game against the Philadelphia 76ers looming the next evening at TD Garden, it’s possible Smart will rest against the weaker of the two opponents in order to save his energy for Thursday’s tilt.
In his first game back, the Butler product looked to be at the high level of play he was showing before breaking his hand in early November, and with the Jay Team (as wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are called) continuing to shine, the Pacers should be a challenging but winnable matchup.
It’s only natural to wonder what might have been had we taken a different path in life. But when it comes to the NBA Draft and raw potential, patience is a better approach in the short term.
The NBA Draft is an inexact science, but it can be risky to rush to judgment on a first-year prospect, even one as injured as Boston Celtics wing Romeo Langford.
It’s easy to look at the players able to contribute now, and assume the 14th overall pick might have been better used on another prospect able to impact winning, but the truth is most prospects don’t add much to a team’s ceiling in their inaugural season in the league.
So, while quarter-season results have given us enough context to have a solid idea of what we can expect from this year’s rookie class in this season, it’s far too early to say what most teams have in year two, three, and beyond.
Twenty-odd games into the 2019-20 NBA season, articles about how that that summer evening at Barclays Center might have gone differently are starting to appear, such as Bleacher Report’s Robert Wasserman’s.
Regarding the Celtics, Wasserman has a point that Boston’s relatively talent-poor frontcourt rotation would have been served by taking Gonzaga product Brandon Clarke in place of Langford given the team’s unexpected success.
Except, at least at the time, that was still far from a sure thing.
We know now that by the day of the draft, team president Danny Ainge had a good idea now-Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was leaving, and that do-everything big man Al Horford had serious interest from rival teams.
In fact, they even dealt away defensive anchor Aron Baynes to the Phoenix Suns for draft assets that would become Carsen Edwards’ contract — not a move one would make if the plan was to stay in contention, even if the Purdue guard can already contribute in spurts.
Revisionist histories are fun in that they serve as a sort of time machine, letting us transport the knowledge we have now back to when we might have made a different choice based on that data, but do little good in the present given there’s no actual way to put that information to use.
And Langford, who slipped from a projected top pick to late lottery because of injury was and remains a high-reward gamble appropriate for a team most assumed would need a season or longer to regroup.
Celtics options at 14: – Nassir Little [3&D wing with big upside] – Goga Bitadze [PnR 5] – Sekou Doumbouya [stretch 4/5 athlete] – Nickeil Alexander-Walker [playmaking wing] – Romeo Langford [MarShon Brooks but good] – Brandon Clarke [Paul Millsap w/ less trill] -BOLBOLBOL
In retrospect, Clarke is clearly the more useful player now, but even with all of the Indiana product’s subsequent injuries, Langford may yet have the higher ceiling.
It may be fun to daydream about what might have been, but the jury will be out for some time on the wisdom of selecting Langford ahead of the former Bulldog big man, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, or any of several other prospects who have proven more durable.
While Boston’s front office has had its share of late first-round flops in recent years, it’s done a decidedly middle-of-the-pack job overall in the draft under Ainge’s tenure, and for at least his first season, patience should be the word with the Indianapolis native.
Romeo Langford’s seemingly endless string of injuries won’t go on forever, and we ought to let him spread his wings before we make up our minds the rookie cannot fly.
