Celtics Draft Guard Romeo Langford With No. 14 Pick
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics couldn't swing a trade to move up in the 2019 NBA Draft, so they made their first scheduled selection at No. 14, taking Indiana guard Romeo Langford.
The 6-foot-6, 216-pound Langford played one season at Indiana, averaging 16.5 points off 45 percent shooting to go with 5.4 rebounds per game. The Indiana native is a big and athletic shooting guard who can finish at the rim in a number of ways. He also got to the free throw line with relative ease, hitting the charity stripe 194 times and making 72 percent of his freebies. He averaged 6.1 free throw attempts per game.
But Langford struggled from deep in his only season with the Hoosiers, hitting on only 27 percent of his attempts from three-point range. He played through a torn thumb ligament in his lone season at Indiana, which could have contributed to his poor shooting numbers. He was seen as a high lottery pick before the season started, but saw his stock drop throughout the year.
The Celtics are banking on that Langford will live up to his potential as a versatile scoring wing. He'll be another asset that Danny Ainge can add to his collection for potential future moves, since the Celtics are already pretty set at the wing with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
"I see myself as just real smooth," Langford told reporters after being drafted. "I think I'm a real versatile player. I feel I can play multiple positions. I can do a lot. Whatever the team needs to be done."
Boston was reportedly interested in Kentucky guard Tyler Herro, but he was drafted at No. 13 by the Miami Heat. The Celtics also drafted Tennessee forward Grant Williams at No. 22 and Purdue guard Carsen Edwards at No. 33.
