The Hawks now have three picks in the top 17. There have been several rumors suggesting they are looking at trading up, so who knows where exactly they will be selecting, meaning all prospects are on the table. If Atlanta chooses to keep their 17th overall pick, Romeo Langford is a fascinating option for them to take a gamble on.
A former McDonald’s All-American – Langford exits Indiana after just one, some would say, disappointing season. The Hoosiers had high hopes with their star freshman on-board but were forced to settle for the NIT. Langford, however, enjoyed a productive year, especially as a scorer.
Romeo is a bonafide bucket-getter – that’s what he does best. At 6’6″ with a nearly 7-foot wingspan, he’s fantastic at taking the ball to the rim off the dribble and finishing in traffic. His body control is RJ Barrett-like. He comes down the lane with a purpose, and even though it looks erratic, those are quality shots for Langford – who can finish in so many different ways around the rim. That is indisputably his best attribute at the moment.
There is one glaring concern in his offensive game, and it will probably be what makes or breaks him as a pro – his jump shot. Langford was an above-average three-point shooter in high school, but that did not translate to Indiana. He only shot 27.2% from behind the arc on nearly four attempts per game. That is ugly, and so is his jumper right now. Here is a video of him during shooting practice:
Romeo Langford shooting before practice pic.twitter.com/CI3GUU7u1G
— Fletcher Page (@FletcherPage) June 22, 2017
Yes, that video is from nearly two years ago. But his form has not taken steps forward, which might be even more worrisome. In games, Langford has a long shooting stroke that goes across his body and over his head. The result is an erratic shot that has been known to land anywhere. This is an area he is going to have to work on, and he will likely have to completely re-do his jumper if he wants to be a three-point shooter in the NBA.
That’s problematic, not just for the Hawks (who love shooters), but for any NBA team. Even the most prolific athletes in the world like Giannis and Ben Simmons are held back significantly by their lack of a jump shot. It will effect Langford even more because he isn’t blessed with the unbelievable size that those two are. If he can’t develop a respected jumper, I’m not sure how he becomes successful in the NBA.
General managers will have to figure out if he has the right drive to make it happen because a Romeo Lanford with a reliable jump shot will be a scoring machine at any level.