3 Bucks who desperately need to raise their stock in training camp

3. Chris Livingston

The final player is a bit more of an intriguing case (quite harsh, too) as the Milwaukee Bucks made Chris Livingston the highest-paid final pick of the NBA Draft ever. He signed a four-year $7.7 million deal with the first two years guaranteed prior to the beginning of his rookie season.

Livingston only featured in 21 games, eight of those under Rivers, and averaged 4.3 minutes per game. This is a harsh one, as he is so young still, and the Bucks clearly have faith in him to grow into a rotation player with the contract. He has the frame and athleticism to become a good defender and player in transition. A recent growth spurt has really added further intrigue to him as he now stands 6-foot-7.5, and that frame will aid him even more.

The reason he needs to drastically increase his stock is the additions made to the roster this offseason could lead to Livingston spending most of his time with the Wisconsin Herd again. Prince and Smith add to the depth at the power forward spot behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. Trent adds to the wing depth, and then you have the potential emergence of his fellow 2023 Draft pick in Andre Jackson Jr.

We know Khris Middleton will be the starting small forward, and Trent is likely to be the starting guard alongside Lillard. After that, the two positions are very much up for grabs, and throughout the season, we will likely see glimpses of everyone. Umude was on a two-way with the Detroit Pistons and played more games than Livingston last season (Yes, I know, it was with the Pistons), and with Umude being 25, if he impresses, he may work his way into the rotation.

This last spot was a hard one to decide, with so many players that will be looking to fight for the nine through 13 spots on the bench as they try to stamp their authority on the team.

The reason for having Livingston here was the lack of NBA time he had last season, and we know Rivers tends to favor the veterans over the young guys in his rotations. A worry for Livingston is that he isn't in the rotation and drifts into obscurity when there is clear talent and has the athleticism to be a valuable player with the Milwaukee Bucks moving forward.

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