For the first time in what seems like a while, the Los Angeles Lakers will have a first-round draft pick this year.
Throughout much of this season, it looked as if they would end up going down the draft board because of the New Orleans Pelicans’ ability to swap picks with them. That swap stemmed from 2019’s Anthony Davis trade.
Luckily for L.A., it finished with a better record than New Orleans, so it will have the No. 17 selection in the 2023 NBA draft, which will take place on June 22.
The team has started bringing in prospects for workouts, and one of them is University of Kentucky wing Chris Livingston.
Livingston has the potential to be the type of player the Lakers need
Perhaps the Lakers’ biggest need is a true 3-and-D wing who has some legitimate size. Livingston seems to fit that description pretty well.
A native of Akron, Ohio, the same hometown as a certain Lakers superstar, Livingston started receiving offers to play college ball at the age of 14, and he ended up heading to Kentucky.
His stats in his lone season with the Wildcats — 6.3 points on 42.9% field-goal shooting and 30.5% from 3-point range, 4.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.4 steals per game — don’t exactly stand out.
However, at 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds and with solid strength, athleticism and hops, he has ample potential. He was a five-star recruit out of high school, and although he hasn’t tapped his potential yet, it appears to be there.
He is a big threat in transition, with the ability to attack the basket and throw down dunks, which would make him a nice fit for the Lakers’ fast-breaking style of offense. Scouts also believe he has to potential to be a dependable 3-point shooter.
Livingston still has work to do as far as his defense, but it appears he has all the physical tools to excel at that end of the floor.
Over the last several years, the Lakers have shown a preference for older, more developed draft prospects who have spent at least three years in college. However, last year was an exception. They took Michigan State University wing Max Christie who, like Livingston, played just one year in the NCAA.
Livingston is projected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick according to Sports Illustrated, but he may have to really impress scouts during his workouts to stand out compared to other prospects who are either a little older or simply more developed.
