Kentucky’s Chris Livingston Could See Meteoric Draft Rise
Of the tens of prospects I’ve scouted thus far in the 2023 NBA Draft cycle, Kentucky’s Chris Livingston stands out as a player who may not be receiving adequate hype levels.
A fair athlete packed within a 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame, Livingston is, in the least, competent in nearly every skill that makes a modern NBA player.
Livingston is a strong, bruising forward who, thus far, has used his size and strength to his significant advantage. Despite being thick-framed, he’s got enough control and speed to play a fairly horizontal slashing game. He's also an above-the-rim athlete. In short, Livingston can go through and around players on offense, and those skills will aid him on the defensive end as well.
We’ve all heard this story before: a nicely-framed slashing wing with some defensively versatility who’s no real outside threat.
Not so fast!
Livingston has some legitimate range. It’s certainly not his primary skill, and there’s sure to be a dip headed into both the college and pro levels. But Livingston seems to be a product of these first few classes that grew up on the Steph Curry Method of playing half of their basketball from outside the arc.
He’s got a clean, projectable stroke, and I’m fairly confident it will be a weapon he’ll have in his arsenal for the foreseeable future.
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On top of that, Livingston has even shown some serious passing chops. It’s likely he won’t get the chance to showcase that in the upcoming season with Kentucky, but there’s a chance he could one day develop into a secondary playmaker-type.
Of course, in all the good things, there’s still several areas of improvement for Livingston. He projects solid defensive versatility and control, but it’s not something we’ve seen yet.
The biggest area of improvement for Livingston should be shying away from bully ball and opting towards a more perimeter focused, NBA-style game. We know Livingston can function as an odd type of small-ball, back-to-the-basket bruiser, but that’s not something scouts will be deeply invested in as the season wears on.
The primary issue regarding Livingston’s draft stock will be his role at Kentucky. With an already established star in Oscar Tshiebwe, and another high-level prospect in Cason Wallace incoming, it’s fairly likely that Livingston isn’t the focal point of the Kentucky offense. And thus isn’t given the opportunity to truly shine.
But, if the stars align, I really believe there’s a legitimate chance Livingston could crack the top ten. If the stars are only moderately aligned (maybe there’s a rogue Red Dwarf), Livingston still has all the tools needed to be a late lottery selection in a loaded 2023 draft class.
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