Romeo Langford became the 26th NBA first round draft pick in program history when the Boston Celtics selected him 14th overall Wednesday night.
Here's a look at what experts are saying about the newest Hoosier to make it to the league.
• Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge isn't concerned about Langford's thumb injury that he played through all of last season long-term, Boston.com's Trevor Hass wrote in his five things to know about Langford.
"Danny Ainge, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, said he isn’t worried about the injury long term, noting that the team’s doctors will take a look at the hand when Langford arrives in Boston.
"He, too, acknowledged Langford’s shooting wasn’t great in college, but he expects that trend to rectify itself with time."
• The season Langford authored despite the setback actually impressed Celtics Director of Player Personnel Austin Ainge.
“A lot of guys highly rated as him would be concerned about their draft stock and future and not as concerned about that season," Carr said in a video interview with Celtics team reporter Amanda Plfugrad. "We were very impressed that he played through (the thumb injury) and played pretty well.”
• Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is a big fan of Langford's multidimensional game and Indiana high school roots.
"I think Romeo's a really versatile, good player," Stevens told the Boston media Thursday night. "He's been a good player for a long time. he's a guy that, as far as the state of Indiana high school basketball goes, was probably as followed as anybody in the last 15 years. Obviously had an incredible high school career. Had a really good start to his college career, tore some ligaments in his thumb and played through it most of the year. Can do a lot of things on the basketball court. Has been well coached both in high school and in college and a guy that we think has a lot of things that translate to the NBA."
• ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony said the Celtics are a perfect landing spot for the former IU star:
"Celtics coach Brad Stevens had told colleagues in the lead-up to the draft that he was enamored with Romeo Langford, as he was very familiar with the Indiana product since both grew up in the Hoosier State.
"Langford was one of the most hyped players in Indiana high school basketball history, which likely helped quite a bit in masking his somewhat disappointing freshman season, which was hampered by a wrist injury. Langford falls into an ideal situation, in which he will be asked to utilize his intriguing ballhandling and playmaking ability in a variety of different roles and positions on a Boston roster that is in quite a bit of flux at the moment."
• The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks gives Boston's selection of Langford a "B" in his 2019 NBA Draft grades:
"The Celtics are gambling on upside with Langford," Tjarks wrote. "He was one of the most highly regarded prospects in the country coming into the season, but he had an up-and-down freshman season after tearing a ligament in his thumb in November. Langford has some real red flags in his profile: He’s a scorer who didn’t shoot particularly well in college, and has only average athleticism for his position. Boston is hoping that a healthy version of Langford is closer to the player he was in high school."
• Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley gives the pick a "B-" in his grades:
"Langford’s ability to find volume and efficiency from distance could determine the length and impact of his NBA career," Buckley wrote. "Non-shooting 2-guards with questionable creation skills don’t exactly have long shelf lives in the Association."
• Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo, who consistently projected Langford lower than most analysts in their mock drafts, sticks with his evaluation and pre-draft opinion of the former IU star and gives the pick a "C" in his grades:
"Boston is taking a big gamble here with Langford, who comes with some real on-court concerns after a so-so year at Indiana," Woo wrote. "He was playing injured for much of the time, but there were teams who valued him lower than this, who didn’t buy in on him from a long-term perspective. It’s certainly possible he returns lottery value if he gets healthy and puts it together, but my own evaluation of Langford was much lower than this. Time will tell."
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