Indiana Basketball: Reviewing Romeo Langford’s first NBA season

Former Indiana Basketball star Romeo Langford had an up-and-down rookie year.

Romeo Langford is a guy who all Indiana fans want to believe in. A homegrown talent from New Albany, Indiana, Langford was the first elite recruit to play for Archie Miller at IU.

Expectations were through the roof for Langford as he matriculated from high school to college. Langford was a 3,000 point scorer in at New Albany High School and sported a long, athletic frame, elite finishing skills, and a silky smooth step-back jumper. We couldn’t wait to see him play and lead Indiana back its solidified blue-blood status.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how it went. At first, the Hoosiers seemed like they were going to have a great season. They landed in the top-25 after walloping a good Marquette team but were then blown out on the road by a Zion Williamson-led Duke squad.

From there, things turned sour. Indiana lost 12 out of 13 games between January and February and missed the NCAA Tournament. Langford then declared for the NBA Draft and was selected 14th overall by the Boston Celtics; a disappointing result considering he was a top-five projected pick coming out of high school.

Although the NBA is now coming back, Langford’s season is likely done. In the playoffs, NBA benches shorten considerably, and it is highly unlikely that Brad Stevens puts Langford out there with any stakes on the line. Knowing this, let’s look at what Langford accomplished in his rookie season.