What to make of Romeo Langford's extended appearances for Celtics

Now that Romeo Langford is finally healthy and both Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart are out, the Celtics' first 2019 draft pick is finally getting some minutes. Between constantly being injured and his clunky shot, there was reason to worry about Langford.

He's not out of the dark yet, but he has definitely shown some promise in his last two appearances for the Celtics. Especially in Sunday's 119-93 win over the Hornets. (For a complete recap of the Celtics' win, click here.)

---

Of course, Charlotte isn't exactly the best the NBA has to offer. Neither are the Pistons, who Langford had two steals against and scored six on 3 of 8 shooting.

His play against Detroit was a step in the right direction, and he seemed to build off that performance on Sunday.

First thing that jumps out: Langford took three 3-pointers. What's more, he made two of them. So, not only is he gaining confidence, Langford is becoming more consistent with his mechanics.

"I feel a lot more comfortable – (my shot) feels natural now," Langford said. "I shoot a lot all the time now and I feel like it is paying off and it is working."

First #NBA career three for @yeahyeah22 -- pic.twitter.com/XqRESwgh4C

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 22, 2019

Sticking with the offensive end, one thing Langford still struggles with is he doesn't always move well without the ball in the halfcourt offense. He easily becomes stagnant.

However, the second a shot goes up from one of his teammates, Langford tends to crash the boards. And he finds openings, with his three offensive rebounds from Sunday's game serving as evidence.

On the defensive glass, Langford only had one board, but he did box out on multiple occasions. It's a dying art — and simple way he can have a significant impact on his teammates' play.

Romeo! pic.twitter.com/h7EnAUP9lt

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) December 22, 2019

Of course, Langford had a big block on Sunday, but it was after his man got past him. Terry Rozier also got by Langford. He does recover well, though. And rookies are more prone to getting beat. This is something that should improve with time and experience — which means Langford needs to stay healthy.

Room to grow, no doubt, and again, neither Detroit nor Charlotte are exactly title contenders, but Langford has at least shown some reason to believe he can eventually contribute to the Celtics in some capacity.

"If you go back and even watch the Dallas game, it's night and day what three games of experience will do for you," Brad Stevens said. "And he may not get to play as much when we have our full roster, but I think what this does is it gives you great comfort in that if you have to throw him in there for an extended period of time he's going to do exactly what we need him to do. And he's a very versatile wing defender. … I was encouraged by Romeo's play all weekend."

For more Celtics and NBA coverage, be sure to subscribe to WEEI's 5 Out podcast. The podcast is available on RADIO.COM, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify.