Memphis Grizzlies: 5 Reasons Why Tanking is Worth Shot at Romeo Langford in 2019 NBA Draft

Providing Stability at Shooting Guard

Over the past decade, in what has been the best run of the Memphis Grizzlies’ existence, they have had consistency at every position except the wings. Even with the days of the Core Four, the Grizzlies found themselves oftentimes interchanging First-Team defenseman Tony Allen with, say, Courtney Lee depending upon the situation and matchup.

With Allen, little offense would be generated. It was “Grit-‘N’-Grind,” so the Grizzlies were not concerned with scoring a large sum of points. They depended on wearing down opponents night-in and night-out. It worked for them — to an extent. A common downfall deep in their playoff runs was the lack of a consistent and high-volume scorer/shooter.

Courtney Lee fit the bill as an offensive threat, but he often shied away from shot attempts unless they were wide-open looks. Sometimes he would hesitate and talk himself out of a three-point attempt. This became infuriating at times, especially as the Memphis Grizzlies were longing for offensive options on the wing to compete with high-powered offenses belonging to the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The shooting guard position still had more stability than the Grizzlies’ small forward options over the years. Yet, the Memphis Grizzlies are still interested in a sure-fire two-way star that they can count on for the future. Though NBA sophomore Dillon Brooks is a strong candidate for a long-term role on the wing in Memphis, he took a major step back in 2018-19. He began shooting at a poor clip and injuries put a quick end to his second professional season.

Standing at 6’6,” Romeo Langford has the height and length to defend at a high level that matches his scoring ability. He is averaging 16.7 points (on 45.2% shooting from the field), 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and nearly one block and one steal per game through 31 games. He can do some of everything. Again, he is only 19 years old. Much like Jaren Jackson Jr., he is only scratching the surface of his full potential. Just wait until he adds more muscle and plays against even stronger competition.

For an NBA comparison, Romeo is a very similar player to a young Bradley Beal. Beal played just one collegiate season for the Florida Gators and his numbers are nearly a carbon copy of Langford’s — everything from minutes, points, rebounds, and assists to efficiency, shooting percentages, and win shares. Romeo is better on the drive, though Beal was and is a smoother shooter from the outside. Bradley Beal has demonstrated versatility at both guard positions throughout his professional hoops career with the Washington Wizards.

It is evident how Langford has ranked so highly among his peers throughout high school and a large portion of one collegiate season. It is no fluke that he is known as an elite guard. However, playing shooting guard is not all that Romeo Langford can do…