An injury to San Antonio starter Devin Vassell meant former IU basketball one-and-done start Romeo Langford got a chance to start on Friday night.
The New Albany, Ind. product was up to the challenge.
Langford poured in a career-high 23 points and added three rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 122-115 Spurs win over the New York Knicks.
“I’m kind of used to being thrown into the fire,” Langford told the Bally Sports San Antonio broadcast crew after the game. “That’s why you stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.”
Langford made 11-of-16 shots and had just one turnover in 28 minutes of action. He was asked if he was in the zone after scoring at such an efficient rate.
“I was just out there playing basketball, I guess you could say I was in the zone,” Langford said.
Langford’s previous career high was 19 points against Miami on Dec. 10. He entered Thursday averaging a career-best 5.9 points, the highest of his four-year career.
Now in his fourth season in the NBA after he was the No. 14 draft pick in 2019, the 23-year-old Langford is looking to get through an entire season without significant injuries. He hasn’t played in more than 48 games over his first three years in the league.
The 6-foot-6 Langford started his professional career with the Boston Celtics. He was traded to San Antonio during the 2021-22 campaign.
Factoring in Friday evening, Langford is now averaging 6.8 points this season over a career-high 19.5 minutes per game.
“I feel like when I’m out there, and healthy and I get to play a consistent role I’m productive out there,” Langford said.
"That's our whole main focus every game. Playing a full 48 minutes."
Spurs guard Romeo Langford shines in a starting role against the Knicks, and talks about the team win.@spurs | #PorVida | @yeahyeah22 pic.twitter.com/xl4VxGPfg8
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) December 30, 2022
Langford was named second team All-Big Ten by the coaches during his lone season at Indiana. He played in and started 32 games and was the top freshman scorer in the Big Ten and the IU leader with 16.5 points per contest. Langford had the third highest scoring average among major college freshmen.
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