1 dream, 1 realistic, and 1 floor comparison for Bucks’ Chris Livingston
By Franco Luna
Dream ceiling for Bucks’ Chris Livingston – Paul George or Jaylen Brown
At his absolute ceiling, Livingston also has the potential to end up like a few players in the league, namely Paul George and Jaylen Brown.
Evaluating his body type alone, Livingston has a lot of the same physical tools as Clippers forward Paul George, including size, athleticism, and length, though that would obviously be a dream scenario that is far from guaranteed. Defensively, Livingston has the combination of size, speed and strength to defend multiple positions. He is not a finished product on that end of the floor, but he has the potential to be a good defender in the NBA.
But the similarities are there: Livingston also has a serviceable (if relatively inefficient) shooting stroke and is a capable defender. With his physicality and athleticism, Livingston is going to be a real threat in transition who likes to play above the rim from the get-go, which still gives him a lot of offensive upside to capitalize on in training camp. He also has the range to knock down triples, although he is not a prolific outside shooter. If Livingston over the years can come to develop his ball-handling, shot-creation, and playmaking skills and eventually become a more consistent scorer, he could have a similar ceiling to George.
Jaylen Brown is another player who has a lot of the same physical tools as Livingston. He is also a good scorer and defender, and he has shown the ability to be a playmaker.
That’s certainly a near-pipe dream for the Milwaukee Bucks, who don’t have much by way of cap space and draft capital to bring in top-level talent around Giannis Antetokounmpo in the coming years.
In this dream scenario, Livingston quickly develops into a starting-caliber point guard for the Bucks, averaging 15 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. He becomes a key cog in the Bucks’ championship-contending machine, and is eventually named to an All-Star team.
If Livingston can reach any of these levels, he would be a very valuable player in the NBA.
In this scenario, Livingston would need to make a significant leap in his development. He would need to become a more consistent scorer, and he would also need to improve his playmaking and defense. The good news is that with a developmental mind like Adrian Griffin at the helm, these outcomes are more than possible.