The Milwaukee Bucks started their preseason with a 103-93 win over the Miami Heat, with Chris Livingston shining and showing that he could be the team's next development project.
As expected, all eyes were on Myles Turner on his debut, but Livingston was impressive during his eight minutes on the floor. He finished with eight points, two rebounds, and an assist, while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
Chris Livingston can fight for a spot in the rotation
Livingston's journey with the Bucks has been a rollercoaster. The 58th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft became the highest-paid final pick by guaranteed money across his first two seasons with the team. Having managed just 42 appearances in the NBA, he was waived this summer before his deal became guaranteed, then a strong Summer League with the Bucks saw him re-sign to a one-year $2.3 million contract, which is fully guaranteed.
It was those performances in Summer League that really catapulted him back into contention with the Bucks wing positions still feeling quite weak. In Vegas, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on shooting splits of .492/.381/.714.
Milwaukee's wing positions have plenty of bodies, but there is no one really stamping their authority on the position. Doc Rivers started with AJ Green at small forward and Kyle Kuzma at power forward against the Heat. The option to go small with someone like Green will always be there for Milwaukee as they aim to shoot more threes this upcoming season.
Kuzma has been disappointing with his performances. Taurean Prince re-signed to the surprise of many, but his spot is not safe. Andre Jackson Jr.'s deal for the upcoming season is not guaranteed, and Amir Coffey has impressed but is only on a training camp deal. Livingston isn't necessarily safe either, with the Bucks at 15 players, so if they wanted to shuffle things, they would need to make a trade or potentially waive someone.
What the Bucks needed last season were younger players who were more athletic. The roster was getting old and struggling to keep up with the pace of the modern NBA. Milwaukee's development of its draft picks has not been great since selecting Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013. Jackson and Livingston have shown promise, but their roles are still not guaranteed.
Livingston will have the rest of the preseason and practices to stake a claim to be in the rotation. He has shown that he can defend multiple positions with his physicality, while knocking down shots from deep, which is integral to complementing Giannis' game.
He certainly shone in the preseason opener and caught the eyes of many, but he needs to keep that up and continue his development to earn a spot in the Bucks' rotation.