Tommy Heinsohn: Romeo Langford has "all the stuff that they (Celtics) were looking for"


The drift I am getting from Celtics fans is that they are generally not nearly as excited about Danny Ainge drafting Romeo Langford as they are about Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards. Some have questioned Langford's passion and effort on the court. That may be just a poor perception of what fans see. I certainly hope so. Think about Kareem Abdul Jabbar. His size and talent were at such high (literally) levels, it often looked like he was dogging it out there. See the movie video below with Jabbar as co-pilot Roger Murdock for more emphasis on this point.


Romeo stands 6'6" with a 6'11" wingspan, terrific length for a guard, particularly if he can transition to point guard in the NBA. He is a great finisher that attacks the basket and racks up an average of 6.1 free throw attempts per game. His smoothness may erroneously project to some folks that he lacks motor, effort and passion (per Boston.Com's Tommy McArdle):

“[Langford’s] got all the stuff that they were looking for,” Heinsohn said. “He’s a very versatile player. He’s not a fabulous scorer, but he’s a potential point guard, he’s a potential scorer, and he’s a potential really good defender. He can play and defend a couple of different positions. So in their eyes – and I’m sure it’ll prove to be true – he’s just going to be a great all-around player.”




Roger Murdock (I mean Jabbar) got pissed when the bratty little kid questioned his effort on the court. Langford may have the same reaction to fans' less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of him. In college, he had both thumb and back issues but still performed at a high level. Minus the issues, we need to see just how good he can be as a member of the Boston Celtics. Kid needs a chance - doesn't everybody.

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Video via TUBE0055