2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 3.0, Atlanta Hawks Pick #8 & #10 After Lottery
By Chris Guest
#16. Orlando Magic — Romeo Langford
The Orlando Magic have long searched for their ballhandler of the future. Though D.J. Augustin produced a spectacular start to the team’s first playoff run since the Dwight Howard era, the Magic got clobbered in the remaining four games of the team’s series against the Raptors – leaving Orlando to lick its wounds and look to the offseason to improve the team.
Though Markelle Fultz is now on the roster as a key building block, the team will also need to add plenty more talent at various positions, which is why Romeo Langford out of Indiana makes sense for the Magic.
As one of the best Indiana high school players of all time (which is saying a lot in that hoops-crazed state), Langford came into the 2018-19 NCAA men’s basketball season with a ton of hype.
Langford showed plenty of flashes in his freshman season, but the Hoosiers underwhelmed and were left out of the NCAA Tournament field to Langford’s dismay.
In terms of the 2019 NBA Draft, Langford has a bevy of skills that project to the next level – such as his solid defense across multiple positions as well as the ability to finish around the rim through traffic, powering past weaker defenders with his strong lower body.
At 6-foot-6, 215 pounds with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Langford has the requisite size and length to make a difference on the defensive end, and he can also serve as a team’s tertiary ballhandler – something that the Magic will likely covet (the Atlanta Hawks should also be interested in Langford for a multitude of reasons).