Little did I know, Livingston had led Peoria Central to Class AA title the year before against Eddy Curry's alma mater, Thornwood. That would be back-to-back titles and McDonald's All-American honors for Livingston to conclude his high school career.
Livingston committed to Duke but chose to enter the 2004 NBA Draft. He was drafted 4th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. Livingston's decision to forgo college and his horrific knee injury are the most credited reasons for him not living up to his potential. The former allegation is a gross misjudgement.
Livingston certainly would have benefited from playing a year or two under Coach K -- any player would. He also would have teamed up with JJ Redick and Shelden Williams to form possibly the greatest trio of college basketball players that all went on to mediocre NBA careers.
Livingston probably wouldn't have improved his draft stock much higher than it already was coming out of high school. The first overall picks the next three years were big men (Bogut, Bargnani, and Oden), and teams are much more likely to take a flyer on a big man than point guard with the top overall selection.
The half courts sets in the college game probably aren't suited to what I believe were Livingston's strengths -- pushing the ball, and isolating his defender one-on-one. Some time had Duke would have definitely improved his defense though.
After a promising rookie year, the Clippers traded for Sam Cassell, which halted what was expected to be a spike in Livingston's playing time. Instead, Livingston backed up Cassell at the point and occasionally played shooting guard -- a position that didn't utilize his skills. The 2005-06 Clippers enjoyed their best season in franchise history since moving to Los Angeles. They won 49 games, defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, and took the Suns all the way to seven games before losing in the Conference Semifinals. Livingston's playoff numbers mirror his career stats: 9 points and 4 assists in 27 minutes per game.
The following year, Livingston would experience his claim to fame, a horrific knee injury that would tear his ACL and PCL, sprain his MCL, and dislocate his kneecap and shinbone. And all that happened on the same play, it's no wonder the video was a YouTube sensation.
Livingston's injury was season-ending and looked at first glance like it could have ended his career. It came at the worst possible time, seeing as Cassell's contract was up after that season, and Livingston would have likely been given the reigns to the Clippers franchise. Instead, the Clippers decided not to pick up his qualifying offer, opting instead to make him an unrestricted free agent.
For the next two years, Livingston spent time with the Heat, Grizzlies, Thunder, and even the D-League's Tulsa 66ers before finding a home at the end of last season with the Wizards. He played well enough in 26 games with Washington to earn a 2 year contract offer this offseason from the Bobcats. In Charlotte he finds himself in a similar situation, backing up D.J. Augustin at the point.
No one will say it, but Livingston's lack of playing time (25 mpg over his career, 17 this season) isn't all related to his play. His knee simply can't handle the stress of 35 or more minutes per game. Livingston was injury plagued before his 2007 injury, that was just the culmination of everything that has went wrong with his career.
Like so many before him, Livingston had the ability to revolutionize his position but couldn't stay healthy. Rather than dwell on what his career could have been, let's instead appreciate the fact that he's still playing. Watch that video again. It's a miracle he can even walk.
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