The Kentucky Wildcats are on a roll in the recruiting front. After landing the top recruit out of the 2022 class just last week, John Calipari and Kentucky struck again landing yet another five-star recruit. This time around it’s the five-star small forward Chris Livingston committing to the Cats. Livingston is the second-best small forward in the 2022 class and is ranked sixth nationally.
Here was Livingston’s reasoning for picking Kentucky,
“I’ll say the culture around kentucky, the atmosphere. I just love the coaches, the staff was real early on me. They showed me that they wanted me, they showed me that they cared about me, so that’s who i went with.”
Livingston’s commitment also launched Kentucky to the number one class in the 2022 class. They now have the number one recruit Shaedon Sharpe, the five-star point guard Skyy Clark, and Livingston all committed. Livingston’s commitment is a big win for Kentucky, what will he bring to the Cats when his time comes?
First off, there is clearly a lot of potential for Livingston with his high-ranking. He brings some versatility at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, he can play essentially any wing position. At Kentucky, Livingston will likely bounce between shooting guard and small forward. Livingston’s lengthy frame gives him some good potential as a defender as well.
Jerry Meyer, 247 Sports’ Director of Basketball Scouting, explained why Livingston’s potential is so high in his scouting report,
“Tremendous physical build for a wing. Has explosive athleticism and can make plays in traffic. Loves to attack the rim. Has a powerful spin move to finish off drives. Shoots it well enough from deep but an area for improvement. Handles well in space but needs to tighten and refine his handle. Can deliver a pass on the move. Active player who comes up with balls off the glass and the floor. Has great potential as a multi positional defender.”
With his athleticism and ability to finish, Livingston is very good in transition. As Meyer said in his scouting report, Livingston’s jumper needs some work, but the mechanics of his shot look solid. Take a look at some of Livingston’s highlights.
Livingston fits modern basketball perfectly, he has the ability to score at any level and can play multiple positions. The NBA is slowly turning into “position-less basketball”, some of the best teams at the college level have already turned into this.
Like all high school recruits, Livingston is young and has areas to work on. Still, he is extremely talented with NBA Draft first-round potential. The 2022-23 Kentucky team could be one of the more entertaining teams in college basketball if Calipari continues to recruit like this.
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