NBA Draft: Memphis Grizzlies Should Have Faith in Romeo Langford Amid Shooting Woes
There is reason for the Memphis Grizzlies to look past the shooting woes demonstrated by Indiana’s Romeo Langford and select him in June’s NBA Draft.
The Memphis Grizzlies are just a couple weeks away from learning their fate in the NBA Draft Lottery. If they land within the first eight selections, Indiana University’s Romeo Langford is a pick that could pay major dividends now and later. However, if Memphis falls to nine or after, they will entirely lose their first-round selection.
In notching a 33-49 record for the 2018-19 NBA season, the Grizzlies have plenty of flaws to mend and holes to fill. They are hoping to have answers to some of their gaps via their developing youth, but it will take time and experience. Their most dire need — scoring — is something that cannot be delayed any longer.
Whether it is a rookie or a veteran, points must be produced. The Memphis Grizzlies ranked 30th among 30 NBA teams in scoring this season, but this is not a new trend. The Grizzlies have been 27th or worse in team scoring since the 2015-16 season. For three-point shooting, the story remains nearly the same. Memphis ranked 25th in the past two seasons in three-point shooting accuracy.
In order to solve these ongoing offensive issues, the Memphis Grizzlies need to select Romeo Langford if they have the chance. His is a natural scorer, though he has been receiving plenty of criticism over his outside shooting as a collegiate freshman.
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Though the Indiana Hoosiers did not have a stellar 2018-19 season, Langford proved to be worth the hype. Romeo produced 16.5 points on 44.8% field goal shooting in 34.1 minutes per game. The Indiana product is a master at driving the lane and putting points on the board from inside the arc, but his downfall came via the perimeter.
Romeo Langford connected on 34 of 125 (27.2%) triple attempts, which would typically be a concern for a shooting guard prospect. If the Memphis Grizzlies are somewhat serious drafting Langford, they need to dive deeper and find the root cause of his jump-shooting woes.
On April 4th, Romeo declared for the NBA Draft. On that same date, according to ESPN‘s Jonathan Givony, he also underwent surgery on a torn ligament in his right thumb. This is extremely important to note because Langford is a right-handed shooter.
It can truly be assumed that Romeo Langford’s struggles from beyond the arc were a total fluke due to a real injury that hampered his shooting stroke. He dealt with it for his entire freshman season, so it is no surprise to see him shoot under 30% from long-range. He played to his strength — getting to the rim — in order to produce for his team. His 19.9 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) proves just that, plus much more as he is a do-it-all guard on both ends of the floor.
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Romeo Langford is cemented into the 2019 NBA Draft as he has signed with Catalyst Sports for representation. Therefore, Langford cannot return to Indiana University for his sophomore season. Though there has been a lot of doubt surrounding Romeo’s NBA-readiness, league scouts and executives are certain of his lottery pick status. He will be good, but how good, and also how soon? This is something worth finding out if you are the Memphis Grizzlies.