Romeo Langford, a former guard for the Indiana Hoosiers, was released by the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. In 2023–2024, Langford will enter his fifth NBA season, although he has yet to establish himself as a key member of any club.
Langford was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 14th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, however he only appeared in 94 games for the team over the course of three seasons. For Boston, Langford had 11 starts, although he only contributed 3.6 points and 14.7 minutes per contest. Derrick White, who has been a crucial part of the Celtics’ previous playoff campaigns, was acquired from the San Antonio Spurs midway through the 2020–21 season in exchange for Langford, Josh Richardson, and a first-round selection. In 2022–2023, Langford averaged 6.9 points per game while starting 21 games for San Antonio, however the Spurs did not extend a qualifying offer to Langford following the season.
He committed to a one-year minimum pay contract known as an Exhibit 10 agreement with the Jazz in August, but he will now search for a new place to live. From New Albany, Indiana, Langford was once regarded as one of the best basketball prospects in the country. He elected to remain at home and play for the Indiana Hoosiers over Kansas and Vanderbilt despite being rated No. 5 overall by 247 Sports.
He only participated in one season at Indiana in 2018–19, when the Hoosiers finished 19–16 and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, under previous coach Archie Miller. Langford led the Hoosiers with 16.5 points per game and 34.1 minutes played while making all 32 starts. On his route to being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team and the second team, he contributed 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. No first-year Hoosier has since eclipsed Langford’s average of 16.5 points per game, the highest by an Indiana freshman since Eric Gordon in 2007-08.
But with the NBA season starting on October 24, Langford’s professional future is uncertain after he was released by the Jazz on Tuesday.
