As was widely expected, Indiana freshman guard Romeo Langford will declare for the 2019 NBA Draft.
The New Albany, Ind. native told ESPN that “I plan on officially declaring for the draft next week.”
Before the draft, Langford will have surgery on his right thumb today in connection with an injury that was suffered early in the season.
“I hurt my thumb right before the Duke game in practice,” Langford said to ESPN.
The ESPN report indicates that Langford delayed surgery during the season to stay with the team, and that he will make a full recovery prior to pre-draft workouts in front of NBA scouts and executives.
We have been able to confirm that Langford has not yet hired an agent, although it is possible that he will do so during the NBA evaluation process. If Langford hires an agent he would be ineligible to return to college basketball.
The deadline to withdraw from the 2019 NBA Draft is May 29. Indiana will have three available scholarships for the 2019-20 season if Langford remains in the draft. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard is a consensus first round pick, ranging from selection number 8 to 20 on various draft projections.
The former Indiana Mr. Basketball and McDonald’s All-American believes that the thumb injury played a role in his struggles with perimeter shooting, especially early in the season —
“I think it’s fair to say that we never got a chance to see me at my best at the college level, especially since I’ve been playing with basically a cast on my thumb the whole season,” Langford told ESPN. “Obviously that throws off your shot. Even though I didn’t shoot as well as I’m capable of, I feel like I shot the ball pretty well in the second half of the season.”
Langford played in 32 games for Indiana and missed three postseason NIT contests with a back injury. He led the Hoosiers with 16.5-points per game and added 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest. He earned All-Big Ten second-team honors.
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