Zen-like Todd
June-8th-2004, 07:42 PM
I wasn't particularly enamored with the idea of taking Livingston, but recent news has me rethinking my decision. My main concern were rumors about his weight, or lack thereof. 150, 165, 170, at 6'7, he sounds like Manute Bol. But apparently, Shaun Livingston has been packing on weight (already up to 189, Rip's playing weight) as of late. Chad Ford posted an article on his trip to Hoops Gym in Chicago, where many of the top prospects are working out. I'll let the man speak for himself.
http://espn.starwave.com/media/insider/2004/0607/photo/shaunlivingston_ht.jpg
2:45 p.m.: Shaun Livingston
Like Harris, Livingston is in a bit of a conundrum. He still is trying to decide whether to stay in the draft or go to Duke. That means he doesn't get the hands-on training most of the other guys in the gym do.
He's had just one workout with an NBA team -- the Bulls -- and according to Grover, who attended the workout, he looked great. He'll work out for the Clippers on Tuesday, the Bobcats on Wednesday and a few select teams in a private workout later in the week. Then he'll decide whether to stay in the draft.
At 6-foot-7, high schooler Shaun Livingston's ball-handling skills are flat-out spectacular.
"I think I want to stay in," Livingston said. "But a lot is going to depend on these workouts. I just want to know where I stand before I make my decision. It's a tough decision to make. I really would like to play for Duke, but my dream is to be an NBA player. I just want to do what's right."
Livingston is a great, intelligent kid who doesn't come with the trappings of most high school players in his position. He has no posse. No group of advisers whispering in his ear. He still lives at home in Peoria, Ill., and takes the bus into Chicago every day to work out. He's a grounded kid who is leaning heavily on his grandfather for advice.
It's pretty clear his family would prefer he go to school. They want to protect Livingston and don't have a great handle on the draft process. That's why everyone is still claiming it's 50-50 he'll stay in, despite projections that rate him a top-six pick.
On his own, he's made amazing progress. Livingston weighed in at 189 on Monday. While that may not blow anyone away, consider that he's 6-foot-7 and it's about 20 pounds more than he weighed at the end of the season.
Several NBA GMs to whom I spoke Monday night were very impressed with the weight gain, as well as reports about improvements in Livingston's shooting.
"That will make a huge difference for him," one NBA GM told Insider. "At 170 pounds, there's no way he could really get a lot of minutes right now. At 190 pounds you can start having that conversation."
What if he gets to 200 or 205, the weight Grover projects he'll get to if he keeps working all summer?
"Then he just got really interesting," the GM said.
Livingston is interesting. His ball-handling skills at his size are flat-out spectacular. I've never seen a kid that size do what he does with the ball. He's also up there with Emeka Okafor when it comes to intelligence. As far basketball IQ and floor vision goes, there isn't anyone in the draft who measures up.
Livingston is the one guy in this draft who could do legacy-type stuff in the league. After spending several hours with him, I was sold. I won't see Dwight Howard until Wednesday, but I have a hard time believing he could surpass this kid in potential. Only Pavel Podkolzine could do that, and that's only because he's 7-5 and 300 pounds. With Livingston, however, the risk is much, much smaller than with Podkolzine.
The other knock on Livingston is his shot. He doesn't look to score in games, but when he does raise up for a jumper, it's often off the mark. He's been working like crazy to fix it, and it appears to be improving. From mid-range, he was money on everything. Outside the NBA 3-point line, he hit a respectable 25 of 42 in Grover's drill.
Grover is itching to get his hands on Livingston. He believes that with the right training, the questions about Livingston's strength and body will go away. Right now, though, Grover has to admire from a distance.
“
How often does a 6-foot-7 point guard come along? Especially one with his flair for playing the game. He's the one guy in the draft people will pay money to see. Every time he touches the ball, something spectacular can happen. He's a mix between Magic Johnson and George Gervin. He's got the chance to be very special. ”
— Tim Grover, on Shaun Livingston
"His shot has really improved since he showed up in the gym," Grover said. "His strength has really improved, too. He's a pure point. A pure one. He's got long arms (6-foot-11 span), huge hands and long fingers that allow him to do just about anything he wants with the ball. Believe it or not, he also has really nice footwork in the post. He's very intelligent. Great work ethic and basketball IQ. His basketball instincts are off the charts. He has no one pushing him right now, but still he makes the trip here every day. He does it because he wants to. That's impressive to me."
What kind of lottery pick will Livingston turn out to be?
"Let me ask you, how often does a 6-foot-7 point guard come along?" Grover said. "Especially one with his flair for playing the game. He's the one guy in the draft people will pay money to see. Every time he touches the ball, something spectacular can happen. He's a mix between Magic Johnson and George Gervin. He's got the chance to be very special."
http://espn.starwave.com/media/insider/2004/0607/photo/shaunlivingston_ht.jpg
2:45 p.m.: Shaun Livingston
Like Harris, Livingston is in a bit of a conundrum. He still is trying to decide whether to stay in the draft or go to Duke. That means he doesn't get the hands-on training most of the other guys in the gym do.
He's had just one workout with an NBA team -- the Bulls -- and according to Grover, who attended the workout, he looked great. He'll work out for the Clippers on Tuesday, the Bobcats on Wednesday and a few select teams in a private workout later in the week. Then he'll decide whether to stay in the draft.
At 6-foot-7, high schooler Shaun Livingston's ball-handling skills are flat-out spectacular.
"I think I want to stay in," Livingston said. "But a lot is going to depend on these workouts. I just want to know where I stand before I make my decision. It's a tough decision to make. I really would like to play for Duke, but my dream is to be an NBA player. I just want to do what's right."
Livingston is a great, intelligent kid who doesn't come with the trappings of most high school players in his position. He has no posse. No group of advisers whispering in his ear. He still lives at home in Peoria, Ill., and takes the bus into Chicago every day to work out. He's a grounded kid who is leaning heavily on his grandfather for advice.
It's pretty clear his family would prefer he go to school. They want to protect Livingston and don't have a great handle on the draft process. That's why everyone is still claiming it's 50-50 he'll stay in, despite projections that rate him a top-six pick.
On his own, he's made amazing progress. Livingston weighed in at 189 on Monday. While that may not blow anyone away, consider that he's 6-foot-7 and it's about 20 pounds more than he weighed at the end of the season.
Several NBA GMs to whom I spoke Monday night were very impressed with the weight gain, as well as reports about improvements in Livingston's shooting.
"That will make a huge difference for him," one NBA GM told Insider. "At 170 pounds, there's no way he could really get a lot of minutes right now. At 190 pounds you can start having that conversation."
What if he gets to 200 or 205, the weight Grover projects he'll get to if he keeps working all summer?
"Then he just got really interesting," the GM said.
Livingston is interesting. His ball-handling skills at his size are flat-out spectacular. I've never seen a kid that size do what he does with the ball. He's also up there with Emeka Okafor when it comes to intelligence. As far basketball IQ and floor vision goes, there isn't anyone in the draft who measures up.
Livingston is the one guy in this draft who could do legacy-type stuff in the league. After spending several hours with him, I was sold. I won't see Dwight Howard until Wednesday, but I have a hard time believing he could surpass this kid in potential. Only Pavel Podkolzine could do that, and that's only because he's 7-5 and 300 pounds. With Livingston, however, the risk is much, much smaller than with Podkolzine.
The other knock on Livingston is his shot. He doesn't look to score in games, but when he does raise up for a jumper, it's often off the mark. He's been working like crazy to fix it, and it appears to be improving. From mid-range, he was money on everything. Outside the NBA 3-point line, he hit a respectable 25 of 42 in Grover's drill.
Grover is itching to get his hands on Livingston. He believes that with the right training, the questions about Livingston's strength and body will go away. Right now, though, Grover has to admire from a distance.
“
How often does a 6-foot-7 point guard come along? Especially one with his flair for playing the game. He's the one guy in the draft people will pay money to see. Every time he touches the ball, something spectacular can happen. He's a mix between Magic Johnson and George Gervin. He's got the chance to be very special. ”
— Tim Grover, on Shaun Livingston
"His shot has really improved since he showed up in the gym," Grover said. "His strength has really improved, too. He's a pure point. A pure one. He's got long arms (6-foot-11 span), huge hands and long fingers that allow him to do just about anything he wants with the ball. Believe it or not, he also has really nice footwork in the post. He's very intelligent. Great work ethic and basketball IQ. His basketball instincts are off the charts. He has no one pushing him right now, but still he makes the trip here every day. He does it because he wants to. That's impressive to me."
What kind of lottery pick will Livingston turn out to be?
"Let me ask you, how often does a 6-foot-7 point guard come along?" Grover said. "Especially one with his flair for playing the game. He's the one guy in the draft people will pay money to see. Every time he touches the ball, something spectacular can happen. He's a mix between Magic Johnson and George Gervin. He's got the chance to be very special."