The first in a three part series on incoming freshman to Kentucky Wildcats basketball. Introducing: Chris Livingston.
Chris Livingston, 6'7" 220 pound, wing, Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA by way of Akron, OH. McDonald's All-American, Jordan Brand All-American, Iverson Classic All-American.
Consensus Top 15 player in Class of 2022. I'll break down his strengths and weaknesses. You can check YouTube for some of the highlights. Said to be the best player out of Akron since a young man named Lebron James.
STRENGTHS: Attacks the basket with tremendous force. Athletic wing who flies down the floor, and is strong enough to finish at the basket through contact. Can hit threes off the dribble and the catch. Nice step back mid range jumper. Has the strength and speed to guard all perimeter positions. Great straight line driver with his right hand, with a quick first step off the bounce. Has a nice Euro step around defenders to finish at the rim with a layup or dunk. Nice spin move in the lane to his right and finishes at the basket. Gets steals off the ball by jumping into passing lanes with great anticipation of the next pass. Rebounds with abandon on the offensive and defensive boards. Relentless on the offensive boards. Quick second and third jump to get offensive boards. Can get the ball off the boards and push it up the floor into immediate offense with a coast to coast attack, or passing off the fast break, which he is very good at. Has shown ability to finish at the rim with his left hand, plays hard all the time. Great hang time to finish at the rim. Can post up and score over defenders in the mid post turning over his right shoulder. Will hustle for you the entire game and is not afraid to dive for loose balls. Can defend three positions on the college level. Has shown he can run the point at times. Moves well off the ball to get into scoring position.
WEAKNESSES: Has to get better handling the ball in traffic. Can be turnover prone and make some bad decisions off the dribble. Dribbles too much into traps that causes turnovers for him. Jumps in the air sometimes without know what he's going to do. Has to get more consistent with his jump shot out to three. Hit threes dribbling to his right and pulling up for jumpers. Is streaky from that distance. Has to get better at finishing with his left hand and over his left shoulder in the mid post. Gambles too much to get steals in passing lanes, needs to be more judicious and pick his spots to go for steals. Sometimes ball watches too much and can get caught on back door cuts. Drives to the basket with his right hand, don't see him going left much to get into the lane.
CONCLUSION: Some Kentucky fans look at Livingston and think: Kahlil Whitney. He's a better ball handler and perimeter player coming out of high school than Whitney was. He also is a bigger body coming into college basketball. He has potential as a two end talent that is versatile enough to play four positions on the offensive end. Key will be his perimeter shooting as he'll have to adjust to the college three point shot. He's already physically ready for the college game, body will need a little refinement. Jump shot will open up his driving lanes and powerful finishes. He has a great chance to be a defensive perimeter stopper at this level. I look for him to be a major contributor who will probably come off the bench this year, with a chance to earn a starting spot. Potential to be a one and done first round pick. Plays hard and is a good leader on the court. An exciting player on the wing. Get your popcorn ready Big Blue Nation. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iO1i3MYOssU&feature=share
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