Getty Romeo Langford, Boston Celtics
When the Boston Celtics traded for Derrick White, Romeo Langford was one of the casualties of the deal.
Langford, a former lottery pick, had struggled to crack the Celtics rotation since being drafted as the 14th selection in the 2019 NBA draft. The former Hoosiers star entered the league with an injury and spent the best part of his rookie and sophomore season dealing with one setback after another. So, it should come as no surprise that Langford is looking forward to a fresh start with a new team.
“It’s a fresh start for me. Get to start from square one again, just happy to be here,” Langford told the media after a recent San Antonio Spurs practice session. When healthy, the 22-year-old wing has shown he’s capable of being one of the better defenders on a team, and throughout this season, was trusted to guard some of his opponent’s more potent offensive threats.
Greg Popovich, Langford’s new head coach, preaches defense and has a soft spot for high-IQ players who are multi-faceted offensive threats. In short, the third-year wing may have landed in the best possible situation for a player with his skill set.
Brad Stevens Broke The News
When trades are made, we seldom think about the impact the deal has on players who are involved. From uprooting your life to moving across the country, and having to crack a rotation again. When you’re traded, if you’re not the centerpiece, the hard work begins again.
But, while in Boston, Langford had the unenviable task of trying to beat out Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Josh Richardson, and Aaron Nesmith for playing time, which was a near-impossible task under a rookie head coach. However, by all accounts, Langford remained professional and had the respect of the coaching staff, both past, and present.
The Celtics are acquiring Spurs’ guard Derrick White in a trade, sources tell ESPN.
“We had just got done with practice, and like 30 minutes after, I got a call from Brad. He told me I was going to be part of the trade to San Antonio. I don’t know what to say, it’s out of my control. I’m glad to be with San Antonio, another great organization,” Langford recalled.
The 6-foot-4 guard had played for two seasons under Stevens while he was still the head coach of the Celtics, so it makes sense that the President of Basketball Operations would be the one to break the news. Stevens and Langford are both Indiana natives too, so you can rest assured they’re rooting for each other to succeed.
Langford Sees Similarities Between Celtics and Spurs
A lot has been made of Ime Udoka’s performance as head coach of the Celtics, with mixed reviews as we head into the All-Star break. Yet, an eight-game win streak has done wonders for the coach’s approval rating with the fanbase.
It’s easy to forget the Udoka spent seven years as an assistant under Popovich, before stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Udoka has spoken of the learning experience of both playing and coaching for Popovich, and it’s clear in some of the Celtics offensive sets, that Udoka has bought some of what he learned to Boston.
I have high hopes for Romeo Langford once he’s back and healthy. His presence on the roster will help with versatility on both ends, and if he can figure out how to score in traffic, there will be another penetrator to drag defenses away from the perimeter.
Langford, who is in the unique position of having played for Udoka and now Popovich, noted that he saw some similarities between the two teams from his first practice session with his new squad.
“I can see some things that they tried to implement in Boston while I was there, that they ran in shoot around when I got here.”
With just 18 months remaining on his rookie-scale deal, Langford will need to impress Popovich and earn some rotation minutes as soon as possible. Otherwise, he will find himself fighting for his NBA survival. Luckily, he’s with one of the best franchises in the league for player development with arguably the greatest coach of All-Time.
Langford may not have panned out in Boston, but there’s still a chance he goes on to have a long NBA career.