Romeo Langford missed all of summer league as he recovered from surgery that repaired a torn ligament in his thumb. But now, it appears another injury is plaguing the Boston Celtics’ first-round pick.
Gordon Hayward revealed Wednesday that the rookie hasn’t gone through any live action during training camp thus far, which likely wasn’t supposed to be expressed.
“What’s the story about Romeo?” Hayward asked longtime Celtics PR staffer Jeff Twiss, per CLNS Media. “Have we said anything on that? Don’t say anything?”
After Twiss expressed that he hadn’t been informed of anything, Hayward continued with a laugh. It was clear something was afoot, whether the media was supposed to know or not.
“In the summer, it was good working with him,” Hayward said, suddenly caught in a difficult position. “I didn’t get a chance to see him too much at (Indiana), but certainly he’s got the NBA size, and to me, he read the pick-and-rolls a lot better than I thought a younger player would be at reading pick-and-rolls. He was really good at holding his man off, had a good feel for the timing of it. He hasn’t played live yet at training camp, so I think something must be bothering him.”
Langford later told MassLive’s Tom Westerholm that he tweaked his groin but “expects to be fine.”
The 19-year-old’s first three months with the Celtics unfortunately have been headlined by injuries, but it’s clear the team is confident in his abilities despite the early ailments. Head Coach Brad Stevens expressed this following Day 2 of training camp.
“I think he’s just a versatile, long, athletic guy, but he’s only played one year of college basketball,” Stevens said, per CLNS. “He played for a really good defensive coach in Archie Miller so he understands system, he understands playing together. He played for a good high school coach in Jim Shannon, so he knows the game. Now it’s just a matter of doing it at this speed which is not easy.”
While Langford looks to get back on the floor in a full capacity, his teammates continue to prepare for their preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday at TD Garden. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET.
