2019 NBA Mock Draft: Fallout from Zion Williamson’s injury gives others a chance to shine
211. . G. Indiana. Romeo Langford. 6. player
Let’s play a game of Come Up With The Ceiling. Sorry about the title, it had to have alliteration or you might have skipped to the next slide. Bare with me. This game’s rules say you have to imagine the very best version of an NBA team’s core a few years down the line, projecting reasonable development and not getting too crazy with future drafts. Basically, what is this group of players right here right now going to be able to do together when they’re in their relative prime as a team?
Memphis doesn’t have the fully fledged core to make this as fun as it would be in Phoenix, Atlanta or Dallas but let’s play anyway. The core we’re thinking about includes Jaren Jackson Jr., the 2018 No. 4 pick, Dillon Brooks, the 6-6 playmaker who scored 14 points per 36 minutes on a 53.1 true shooting percentage as a rookie. And there could soon be Langford, whose shooting spiked in February and who likes like an ideal secondary playmaker in the modern NBA.
The Grizzlies are pretty far away in this dream game but that’s a trio you could see fitting together well and growing into a solid core long-term — Jackson as the anchor of a versatile defense, Langford the leading scorer, Brooks the spark plug off the bench. You feel confident Memphis can find some defensive workaholics to fill out the roster, as they always have.
This pick could go any number of ways but it feels fairly certain Memphis targets an heir to Mike Conley in the first round this season with the solid group of lead ball-handlers available in the lottery. Langford is the second best on the list.