Boston Celtics: 3 players Cs should have drafted over Romeo Langford

Player Cs should have drafted over Langford No. 1) Matisse Thybulle

The inclusion of Matisse Thybulle on this list is a bit comical, as he actually was selected at 20th overall by the Boston Celtics on last year’s draft night, but was subsequently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the rights to their 24th and 33rd picks.

Now listen, we’re not necessarily saying Thybulle should have usurped Romeo Langford within draft board ratings that fateful night, as the C’s wing obviously possesses a lot of potential to be a quality player in the NBA. That said, in regard to the Washington-native’s specific skill-set, there is an argument to be made that he could have been a much safer and worthwhile selection at 14th overall.

As we all know, the shamrocks are a very top-heavy team, with a shallow rotation and a lackadaisical second unit, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. One of the main areas in which Boston’s bench struggled this season was in the 3-point game where they ranked 28th in per game shooting percentage (31.8 percent).

While he may not have been known as an all-out offensive weapon heading into the league, his 3-point shooting range was far superior to that of Langford’s, stroking it at a 36 percent clip in comparison to Romeo’s measly 27 percent clip.

On the year, Thybulle turned into a competent role player for Philadelphia, posting solid averages of 4.7 points, 1.2 assists, and 1.4 assists on 36 percent shooting from the field while Langford found himself in and out of the G-League throughout 2019-20.

Even though we saw him ranked ahead of Langford on numerous big-boards heading into draft night, Danny Ainge still opted to take the Indiana product over someone like Thybulle. Sure, he did end up drafting him six selections later but just wound up tossing him to the Sixers anyway.