Celtics lottery pick assigned to G-League


Romeo Langford receiving extra coaching | Photo: Nancy Lane/Boston Herald

After seeing just a few seconds of garbage time in one of the first five games, Romeo Langford finds himself buried on the Boston Celtics depth chart at the moment so the team assigned him to the Maine Red Claws to get increased reps. He'll get a chance to be productive alongside fellow G-Leaguers, Tremont Waters and Tacko Fall.

“I think the biggest thing was we were just weighing, is it better to go practice for a full week, get ready to play, or is it better to be available for really, really spotty minutes?” Stevens said. “And it just makes sense based on the amount of time he missed early on. And then the knee thing happening and then he missed more time. So we just need him to get as many reps as possible.” - Masslive.com/Tom Westerholm


Slow down on the draft bust talk. Langford finds himself behind elite talent - Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward. He also has to battle for minutes with another rookie, Carsen Edwards.


The 14th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has had a slow start to his NBA career. He hasn’t been able to gain any traction due to injuries. Langford had surgery on his thumb after his collegiate season which sidelined him throughout the summer. He’s also had to nurse a groin and knee injury at the beginning of his career.

Langford is healthy at the moment, but the 20 year old hasn’t had enough reps to take minutes away from the players ahead of him. He’s practiced well, especially in a practice preparing the first-team against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I thought it was his best day, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it was the day with the most reps,” Stevens said. “So I just think he needs reps. We think he could really help us, and this is the first step to doing that, I think.” - Masslive.com/Tom Westerholm


If he isn't going to play with the big club, it makes a lot of sense for him to actually play and gain confidence with the G-League. His role on the team for this year is up in the air, but if he isn’t called upon for significant minutes it isn’t the end of the world.

Langford fell in the draft after an underwhelming freshman season for the Indiana Hoosiers. He decided to play through the thumb injury that affected his shooting numbers. It wasn’t too long ago, though, that Langford was the fifth ranked player in his class coming out of high school. You may have heard of these other young stars - RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and Nassir Little.



A long, productive career still awaits Romeo Langford. The Celtics have the luxury to bring on the youngster slowly by playing in Maine. He’ll likely be taking the drive up I-95 a few times this season, which won’t be a bad thing for his development.

You can follow me on Twitter @Mike_Auc.
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