Instead of working out for the teams that might draft him, Romeo Langford has spent much of the two-plus months since he declared for the draft explaining why his lone season of college basketball didn’t quite go as planned.
Langford had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb in April, not long after declaring his intent to enter the draft after his freshman season. That obviously leaves Indiana and its fans wondering what might have been, even though he still averaged a team-high 16.5 points per game with a bum hand.
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More to the point, it leaves NBA teams to wonder how much of his 3-point-shooting woes were explainable by injury, how fixable his jumper is and what that means for a 6-foot-6 wing in a league that is more and more reliant on floor spacing and shooters at every position. Because Langford is still recovering from surgery, teams haven’t been able to watch him play or work out.
So now the range for the draft slot for Langford is pretty wide after he spent much of the season in the top 10 of mock drafts. Some prognosticators have him still finding a way into the lottery. The less-optimistic outlooks have him slipping into the 20s.
That means Langford’s fate will be determined by how he fits on a roster. Teams that need a wing who can score will look at him. Those that don’t will pass. Here’s a look at three teams that would make good landing spots, and another that might not want him.
Detroit Pistons (15th pick)
The Pistons managed to squeak into the playoffs — before being pounced on by the Milwaukee Bucks — thanks largely to their front line, with Blake Griffin turning in a vintage performance at power forward and Andre Drummond putting in nightly double-doubles at center. However, the Pistons were among the worst shooting teams in the NBA from both 2-point and 3-point range, finishing 29th in the league in field goal percentage. They could use scoring from the perimeter wherever they can get it.
That alone doesn’t make Langford the ideal fit. He made just 27.2 percent of his 91 3-point attempts last season. Not all of that can be explained away by the thumb injury, because his mechanics weren’t exactly flawless to start with. The Pistons didn’t have a player on the roster who made 40 percent of his 3-pointers, and their 34.8 percent figure for the season was 24th in the league, so they would obviously be tempted to take a player with a better outside-shooting track record. That would make Kentucky’s Tyler Herro an enticing possibility in this spot.
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That said, the Pistons have a couple of perimeter options that could combine with Langford in veteran point guard Reggie Jackson and fellow wing Luke Kennard, the former Duke star who has taken nearly half of his career field goal attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Langford’s ability to get to the paint and score there might be good enough if there aren’t better all-around options, because the Pistons, one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, simply have to find a way to score more. Despite all of their size up front, they were a middle-of-the-pack team in points in the paint, so they could still use some more production around the rim.
Orlando Magic (16th)
The Magic could use a wing, but they could also use any help they can get, especially if center Nikola Vucevic and swingman Terrance Ross decide to leave in free agency. They had the two highest usage rates on the roster of this year’s playoff squad, and losing both could thrust the Magic back into full rebuild mode. They have Larry Bird rights to both players and can sign both, but they would be over the cap and could still stand to add some talent without dipping into free agency.
Even if those two don’t return, the Magic still have a few veteran pieces who could attract attention, with power forward Aaron Gordon and guards D.J. Augustin and Evan Fournier all under contract. All can shoot from outside to some degree, so that could spread the floor and give Langford space to drive while he works on his jumper. Augustin, in particular, is tough to keep away from the rim, so that can put some pressure on defenses.
One reason the Magic might want to shy away from Langford: They’re already trying to fix the shot of one young guard in Markelle Fultz, the former No. 1 pick who missed most of this season with thoracic outlet syndrome and was acquired from the 76ers in February. Langford’s shot isn’t nearly as broken as Fultz’s, and he isn’t dealing with nearly as much baggage. Still, taking on two projects at the same time is a lot and could lead to the Magic passing on Langford for someone such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Virginia Tech or Kevin Porter Jr. of USC.
Charlotte Hornets (12th)
There was a point when the No. 12 pick seemed to be on the low end of where Langford might end up. Now it seems to be the high end, with Duke’s R.J. Barrett, Virginia’s DeAndre Hunter, Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver, Duke’s Cameron Reddish and North Carolina’s Nassir Little all seemingly sure bets to go before him. Nonetheless, the Hornets might be the first team on the board to give Langford a look. Depending on how much they lose in free agency, he might be exactly what they need.
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Lead guard Kemba Walker is a free agent, and even though he has publicly suggested he’d take less money to stay in Charlotte, keeping him would still probably mean going over the cap to keep some of the other players who are also free agents or have player options. Wing Jeremy Lamb would become extremely difficult to keep in that case, and he’s the Hornets’ second-leading scorer. The Hornets would need someone else to pair with Walker to get some points on the board.
The Hornets have several shooting-guard and small-forward types on the roster who haven’t been as productive as hoped — Malik Monk and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist among them — and they have some talent in the frontcourt with Miles Bridges, Cody Zeller and Marvin Williams, so a scoring wing would seem to be a priority. If Langford’s dribble-drive game doesn’t translate and his jumper doesn’t improve, they might just be guessing wrong on another guard, but they don’t really have a choice but to take a chance on somebody.
Team that wouldn’t fit: San Antonio Spurs (19th)
If Langford is around past pick No. 16, every team that comes to the podium afterward will have to at least consider him because of his sheer talent. The Spurs might be the one team that has to pass, simply because frontcourt help is that important.
The Spurs are loaded up with guards in DeMar DeRozan, Bryn Forbes, Patty Mills, Derrick White, Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker, but they need someone to pair with LaMarcus Aldridge in the frontcourt if they’re to get back into contention in the Western Conference. Several European big men could be on the board and could fit the bill, and the Spurs obviously have a tendency to go international, so they’re much more likely to go that direction than taking a one-and-done American wing.
(Photo of Romeo Langford, left: Brian Spurlock / USA Today)