Before he ever took the floor at Indiana University, Romeo Langford was projected as a top ten pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. And despite a tremendous freshman season in which Langford was named Second Team All-Big Ten and averaged over 16 points and five rebounds, his stock fell.
For all of his scoring prowess and athletic ability, Langford shot under 30 percent from beyond the arc, not exactly an ideal clip for a two guard hoping to take the next step in the NBA.
Matters worsened when Langford revealed that he had actually been playing through a thumb injury that he first suffered in November of last year. While he underwent a successful surgery and figures to be ready in plenty of time for the summer, Langford was still in a cast at the NBA Draft Scouting Combine and was unable to participate in any drills or scrimmages.
Despite his inactivity, however, Langford's confidence was certainly on full display. He proclaimed himself the best player in the draft and expressed a very straightforward brand of confidence in his own abilities and growth as a player.
Like other prospects scattered throughout this draft, Langford is one of the more polarizing players that is likely to go in the first round.
With all of that in mind, here are three teams that should try to target Romeo Langford in the 2019 NBA Draft:
1. Miami Heat
The Heat are one of those teams that will once again be right on the fringe of making the playoffs as a seven or eight seed or possibly missing the postseason altogether.
With Dwyane Wade retiring, Langford could come in and fill the two guard spot while still being a complimentary player to Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson. Whereas the Heat would like for both Winslow and Richardson to be more “3 and D” guys with upside, Langford can be a slasher and playmaker in the paint.
Langford shot 53 percent on all two-pointers last season, and his strong and athletic build help him finish through contact at the rim. He has excellent body control and is adept at working in the pick-and-roll, giving Miami another ball handler when they go big by running Winslow at the point.
The Heat need another scoring threat. Langford would not only be able to fill it up, but he would also allow Miami to explore trade options with respect to backcourt players like Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters in order to get money off the books and get assets back in return.
The Magic made a surprise run to the playoffs this past season, but they could stand to lose their best player in Nikola Vucevic to free agency this summer. Still, with Mohamed Bamba, Markelle Fultz, Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac, Orlando have a solid foundation.
Orlando may also lose Terrence Ross in free agency, which would leave a vacancy on the wing. Whereas Langford may not be as good of a fit in terms of his lack of perimeter shooting, his ability to create off the dribble and score in the paint is exactly what the Magic need.
Gordon is developing as a shot creator, but he is still adapting to being a more perimeter-oriented player. Isaac is a defensive stopper but can hardly create his own shot, the same can be said for Bamba. Evan Fournier has some scoring ability, but he is not the same kind of natural at getting to the rim that Langford proved he was while at Indiana.
The Magic need a guy that can go and get a bucket with the game on the line, and Langford could develop into that kind of crunch-time scorer.
Again, projections for where Langford might go have been extremely varied. The Pacers may be hoping to move Victor Oladipo to the point guard given that Darren Collison is an unrestricted free agent this summer and Oladipo is usually better with the ball in his hands anyway.
Although Indiana could probably stand to add another shooter on the wing (such as Tyler Herro or Keldon Johnson), why not draft Langford if he is still available? He would probably be the best pure scorer left on the board, and as a shooting guard his rebounding ability would mesh well with Indiana's front line of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner.
Langford would take some of the scoring responsibilities off of Oladipo in the backcourt and, just as he might do for the Magic, prove to be one of the guys that Indiana could rely on to create a good shot in key moments of the game instead of constantly going to Oladipo.
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