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Whenever Chris Livingston got the ball, opponents in college basketball knew to get out of the way. While he won't quite get his own way in the NBA, at least he heard his name called by Adam Silver on Thursday night.
Due to the 76ers losing both of this year's second-round picks due to tampering, there were only 58 names called out on the draft night. And Livingston's name was the last to be called, talk about squeaking in.
As the night wound down, Chris Livingston's agent Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports, started doing something peculiar. He started requesting teams not to pick his client. Apparently, he had a specific team that was going to pick him. That team was the Milwaukee Bucks.
Chris Livingston's scouting report
The 6-foot-6 Livingston was a one-and-done, five-star recruit for the Kentucky Wildcats, where he averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds last season. He is also a McDonald's All-American, establishing his pedigree.
The 19-year-old has a quick first step and shows good decision-making with the ball in hand. He is especially dangerous in transition where he seems to scatter his opponents like bowling pins whenever he gets the ball.
Perhaps his best feature is his authority while driving with the ball down the lane and efficient finishing under the rim.
He is disruptive in defense and has quick hands which he uses to good effect when stealing the ball. He is an aggressive perimeter defender and can follow smaller, quicker opponents where other big men would struggle.
His release can be a bit slow and his shooting is streaky, with a few games of being hot followed by weeks of going cold. The Bucks must think that his potential upside outweighs what some consider weaknesses.
NBA outlook
When his agent canceled all seven of his remaining predraft workouts two weeks before the draft, fans thought it was weird behavior. Industry insiders speculated that he had gotten a draft guarantee from one team, prompting this curious behavior.
Rich Paul's behavior last night showed that they'd had a plan all along and they pulled it off to perfection.
It turns out that even though he wasn't hearing his name being called out, Livingston was the calmest man at the Barclays Center while his agent did the backroom dealing.
Apparently, Chris Livingston impressed the Bucks so much with his physicality and athleticism, they guaranteed to pick him. He could be used as a mismatch forward and his defensive versatility stands him in good stead to succeed in the NBA.
While he might not get significant minutes in the NBA immediately, he has joined a contending team that doesn't have the usual pressure to perform immediately.
