Boston Celtics: Is Romeo Langford the answer at backup point guard?

Though rookie Romeo Langford is listed as a wing, perhaps he is best suited at point guard moving forward with the Boston Celtics.

For a large portion of the season, we here at the Houdini have discussed that one of the Boston Celtics’ biggest weaknesses on their roster has been their backup point guard position. Though currently held by Brad Wanamaker, it’s likely the team will be looking into replacing the senior citizen sophomore this offseason.

Oft we’ve discussed potential options to fill in Wanamaker’s place, and have even stated that perhaps his successor is already under contract with the Cs. However, while this statement was referring to rookie point guard Tremont Waters, in recent days it has come to our attention that there may be another first-year pro who could serve as a replacement for Wanamaker.

Though technically listed as a wing, 20-year-old Romeo Langford may actually have what it takes to serve as the team’s backup for Kemba Walker come 2020-21.

Now I get this may be a bit perplexing of an idea, as it does sound weird. When brought to light by our most active fan/commenter ‘Hooligan’ — long may he reign — I myself found it a bit ridiculous.

However, after speaking with him on the matter in an undisclosed format, he has swayed my opinion to actually agree with him: it may be beneficial for both Langford and Boston Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens to have the rookie moved to the point guard position.

"“He has a better chance in our rotation as the back up point guard…he may be waiting awhile at wing.”"

Currently, the wing position is Boston’s most stacked area within their roster. With All-Star Jayson Tatum, arguable All-Star snub Jaylen Brown, former All-Star Gordon Hayward, and Swiss Army man Marcus Smart all vying for time, it has been a well-voiced concern by Cs fans over how Langford will ever receive proper amounts of minutes on the floor in such a crowded rotation.

In fact, even dating back to draft night when Danny Ainge surprised us all by taking the, then, 19-year-old instead of a much-needed big-man, this has been a concern.

Now, with the idea of converting Langford from a wing to a point guard, you may be asking yourself: Does he even have the skill set to actually transition to the one spot?

According to Hooligan, he most certainly does, and proved as much during his collegiate days.

"“The thing is, he injured his finger at Indiana,” said Hooligan. “His shooting suffered, but his ball-handling didn’t. He still averaged 16 points a game and led his team and the Big 10 Freshman in scoring. How was this possible? Langford began to facilitate at the top of the key, penetrate into the lane, and get to the free throw line. Remember, he was third in assists on his team as well. Langford has excellent vision in the half-court, and defensively he has quick hands that led to multiple steals.”"

When going back to the tape on his one-and-done season with the Hoosiers, it is apparent how often Langford — though listed as a shooting guard — was tasked with bringing the ball up the court and initiating plays for his team.

In other words, he often served as somewhat of a traditional point guard for Indiana.

The notion of Romeo having impressive court vision, a sound feel for facilitation, and nifty handles is certainly well backed when taking a look at his film from 2018-19.

Take this clip from Indiana’s bout against Chicago State early on in the season:

Langford gains possession of the ball on the right-wing where he then immediately splits two defenders on a drive to the basket causing the rest of the defense to zero in on him. With their guard down, Devonte Green was able to slide his way to the left corner where Langford finds him for an uncontested three.

Now let’s take a look at another clip from that exact game showcasing the young guard’s impressive court vision and passing skills:

Here we see Langford with the ball at the top of the key. With a quick first step — something very useful for all point guards — on his drive to the basket, he manages to give his defender trouble as he tries to keep up with him. Knowing he’ll likely draw a double team, Langford keeps his head up and, ultimately, finds an uncontested Juwan Morgan down low for a strong finish at the rim.

Now, facilitation skills are of course something a point guard should possess, however, another obvious key for them is comfortability and security with the ball in their hands, which is something the Boston Celtics rookie showcased often during his tenure in college.

Here we once again see Langford attain possession of the ball at the top of the key. Hesitating left only to cross over under his leg to his right hand he swiftly puts the burners on his defender and heads to the rack for a smooth layup finish.

Looking comfortable with the ball in his hands, while showcasing the ability to maintain control due to sound footwork and handles, it’s evident that Langford can be trusted when with possession of the rock.

Here we see in crunch time the Hoosiers trust the guard to bring the ball up the floor. Overseeing the offensive set-up Langford opts for a crossover dribble to his right where he drives the lane and finishes with a scoop layup to, ultimately, win the game for Indiana.

Play recognition is a must for any one-guard, and Romeo Langford managed to display his impressive ability to read an offense seemingly all throughout his lone season in college.

In the NBA, one may believe it to be difficult to have a two or three convert to a one but, as Hooligan explains, now may in fact be the easiest time for a player to do so.

"“The NBA right now doesn’t require a point guard to be Pistol Pete [Maravich] with the “handles”… just someone who can get the ball across half-court, who can set up and run the offense, and who can penetrate off the dribble and facilitate wisely.”"

Sound like someone we’ve been covering?

If you’re not sold on the idea of Langford succeeding in a hypothetical transition to point guard, take Evan Turner‘s tenure with the Boston Celtics as an example of what could be.

Listed at 6-7 and with his technical position being small forward, after a string of injuries to both Rajon Rondo and Marcus Thornton, Brad Stevens opted to thrust Turner into the starting lineup as a point guard and, in turn, he produced quite handsomely.

On a December 31st matchup against the Sacramento Kings — his first in this new role –, Turner put up a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists. Later on in the schedule, he would record his first triple-double while serving as the unit’s primary ball-handler, ending with 10 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds in a 115-94 win over the New York Knicks.

After being tabbed as the team’s point forward during the second half of the season, Turner wound up posting averages of 10.7 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game and, in turn, earned himself a stable and productive role with the Cs until he ultimately nabbed himself a lucrative four year, $70 million contract with the Portland Trailblazers in the 2016 offseason.

The comparison between Turner and Langford is actually pretty solid. Both are athletic and shifty players with sound defensive chops, though Langford is a bit faster and, as Hooligan will attest, has more upside.

With Stevens at the helm, the Boston Celtics have proven to be a great place where players at the point guard position can thrive. As recent years suggest, reclamation projects and players trying to prove their worth/ with a chip on their shoulder — Turner, Isaiah Thomas, Terry Rozier and, honestly, even Kemba Walker to a certain extent — tend to excel when thrust into Steven’s scheme as the primary ball-handler.

As Hooligan claims, “you can’t teach his [Langford] speed and ball-handling.” With the underwhelming season that he had in year one, coupled with the likely challenge that will be finding playing time at the wing, it might behoove both Langford and, frankly, the Boston Celtics as a whole to try and throw the young baller some minutes at the one next season.

They took a chance already by drafting him 14th overall last year. They might as well try to get him as much playing time as possible in order to see exactly what they have in him.

I’m a believer that he could thrive at point guard in the C’s system. Perhaps Brad Stevens, too, will consider the possibility of turning Romeo Langford into Kemba Walker’s primary backup at some point down the road.

Appearing to have the natural skills, it would be interesting to see if the 20-year-old could put them all together and become the replacement for Brad Wanamaker in the lineup.

Film via Frankie Vision. Special thanks to ‘Hooligan’ for his time and the initial idea for the piece