Offseason Report Card: Bucks get an A, four Bs and three Cs for summer moves

7. Drafted Chris Livingston

Drafted Kentucky forward Chris Livingston with the 58th pick

The Milwaukee Bucks are filling a roster spot with a low-cost 6’6″ wing; that’s a good plan in a vacuum. They used the 58th pick in the second round on Kentucky’s Chris Livingston, then signed him to a four-year deal for $7.7 million, the most ever for the last pick in the draft.

The question is whether Livingston was worth the roster-spot to begin with. As a young, raw wing who showed very little in college (6.3 points per game) a two-way deal would probably make more sense for Livingston, but the Bucks’ need to keep their salary down pushed them to sign Livingston to a full contract.

To his credit, Livingston played well in Summer League, averaging 10.6 points per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field, chipping in 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. The shot is still a major problem (30 percent in college, 27 percent in Las Vegas) and his defense hasn’t matched up to his physical tools yet.

If Livingston can find a way to improve as a shooter, he has the strong frame to hold up defensively and be a rotation player down the road. That won’t be anytime soon, though, and using up a roster spot on a project is a tough ask for a team trying to win a title next season. Rookies don’t usually help a team win anyway, but two guaranteed years for a player ranked outside the top-60 on many draft boards is a major question mark.

Grade: C+