Meet the 2022-23 Kentucky Wildcats: Chris Livingston a versatile, tenacious 5-star talent
READ MORE
Need to know: Where every Wildcat fits for 2022-23
Meet every member of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team through a series of preseason stories.
Expand All
We’re getting to know all 15 of the 2022-23 Kentucky Wildcats. Here is what to expect from one of the UK freshmen. Watch Kentucky.com for stories about all of the remaining Cats as the preseason unfolds.
Chris Livingston
Uniform number: 24.
Height/weight: 6-6, 220.
Position: Forward.
Class: Freshman.
Age: 19.
Hometown: Akron, Ohio.
High school: Oak Hill (Va.).
Livingston’s role in 2022-23: Long billed as one of the top five recruits in the 2022 class, Livingston slid a little over the final year of his high school career — finishing at No. 12 in the final 247Sports composite rankings — but he’s obviously still a five-star talent with a ton of upside.
A strong, physical and athletic player, Livingston is listed as a forward but could probably play anything from the “2” position to a small-ball “4” and give the Cats some good punch this season. He’ll most likely settle in as a wing.
When his motor is full go, Livingston is a tenacious rebounder and physical defender. Offensively, he can score at all three levels — developing a three-point shot that defenses have to respect — and has shown the willingness and ability to make the extra pass, especially when surrounded by the type of talent that will share the court with him this season.
Legendary Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith has praised Livingston for his work ethic, and that’s clearly carried over to his first few months at Kentucky, with UK’s coaches telling him at one point this preseason to take a break from the court because he was practicing too much.
Though he’s projected as a first-round NBA Draft pick, Livingston will likely be relied on as more of a complementary, do-whatever-is-needed player this season.
And he can do quite a bit.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 3:00 PM.
