NBA training camps open in the final week of September, and between now and then, we’ll be pondering 20 questions about the Boston Celtics as we head into the new season. Today we look at Romeo Langford and his quest for a fresh start.
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Romeo Langford’s nickname could be some variation of “oh come on,” because that’s probably the phrase people have uttered most when hearing about Langford missing a game. The reason doesn’t matter anymore. The formula is basically Langford + absence = exasperation.
There aren’t many people with worse luck than Langford over his first two NBA seasons. Let’s look at his chart:
[pulls out gag scroll that unravels to the floor]
- He came into the league fresh off thumb surgery on his shooting hand. He admitted the injury really affected him in college, and the compensation for that injury caused some bad habits with his shooting form. The injury cost him his first summer league.
- Early in training camp, Langford strained his groin, which kept him out of live action.
- Shortly after returning from that, he suffered a right knee sprain, his second injury of his first preseason.
- After returning from that, he was assigned to Maine, where he sprained his right ankle, keeping him out for a short time.
- In his return, he re-injured the same ankle.
- COVID-19 shuts down the NBA
- Langford returned for the bubble, but tore ligaments in his right (shooting) wrist in a fall during the playoffs against Philadelphia. The injury required surgery.
- As Langford prepared to return from wrist surgery this past season, he tested positive for COVID-19. It kept him out for a month. “It hit me pretty hard,” he’d say as he was preparing for his return in April.
- Langford briefly entered concussion protocol in May after a collision in practice. He only missed a brief period of time.
- He missed the summer league championship game last month with an unspecified injury to his right wrist, unrelated to the injury which required surgery.
In between all of this, Langford showed bits and pieces of a potentially productive player. He flashed some really solid defense in stretches. He occasionally hit shots, attacked, even caught a few dunks.
Was it enough to make a determination of what he might be at the NBA level? Certainly not. But it was just enough to make some of us say “maybe if this kid can stay healthy ...”
If there’s any solace here for Langford, it’s that the concussion protocol stint was really the only new thing this past season, if you don’t count COVID-19, which hit the whole league. He actually didn’t suffer any new injuries last season and the summer league wrist thing was more precaution than anything.
It’s a start.
Where he goes from here, though, is going to be interesting.
This year’s team has so many question marks, the city edition uniforms might as well be The Riddler’s outfit. Langford is one of the biggest, which makes him a player with the potential to swing Boston’s fortunes in a big way.
There are plenty of people who have already labeled him a bust. It’s hard to argue at this point, especially when it’s clear Boston’s depth chart seems to be excluding him. He might get a chance to prove himself worthy of a real look, but the Celtics have bigger things they need to accomplish in a short preseason.
Is Langford’s chance ahead of Juancho Hernangomez’s? Josh Richardson’s?
Is it ahead of Aaron Nesmith, who not only supplanted Langford as the young guy willing to turn the court into a mosh pit, but is also a far superior shooter? Probably not.
This might mean Langford could start his third year in a Maine Celtics jersey, trying to prove his worth in the G-League. To be honest, it might not be the worst thing for him.
Some time away from the spotlight and a chance to work out the kinks without the weight of the Celtics world on him could provide a pressure-free environment where he can just play ball. No worries about messing up. No worries about missing shots.
For a guy who, over two seasons, has played basically the same amount of minutes as Jaylen Brown did in his first 20 games last season, a little free-wheeling up and down might be nice. It might also be his only shot at proving his worth.
Langford doesn’t need to just stay healthy to get on the floor with the big boys. He needs to show some growth. He needs to show he can hit open shots, attack closeouts, and move the ball on offense. He needs to be the rangy, switchable defender his size and wingspan suggest he can be. If he’s sent to Maine, he needs to make it obvious that he doesn't belong there.
Then he can lie in wait for Richardson, Hernangomez, or Nesmith to disappoint. Opportunities present themselves from time to time in pro sports, and sometimes quite suddenly. Langford needs to be ready to pounce if there’s a sliver of an opening.
It’s hard to imagine him getting that chance just sitting on the Boston bench, but wherever he ends up, he needs to announce his readiness. Whether it’s in a practice, in the weight room, in film study, or with Maine, Langford is likely on his last chance with the Celtics.
If he can make the most of it and find a way to be a contributor, then maybe Boston’s season will go better than expected. If he can’t, then Boston will have to move in another direction.
The 20 questions series: