Sunday, July 26, 2009

Don't Forget Shaun Livingston

Do you remember Shaun Livingston? The fourth pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers? The rangy 6-7 point guard who was becoming one of the best defenders at the point position in the league? The young kid with great basketball IQ who looked like he was going to be a very good leader for a long time?
Perhaps you do, perhaps you don't, but you've probably seen the video of the gruesome knee injury he suffered in 2007 (or you can see it on YouTube, shouldn't be too hard to find), the dreadful injury many thought would end his career.
Well, Livingston is back, back playing point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and doing it pretty well.
"I proved to myself that I can come back and ultimately I think I can get back to where I was, but it's about winning - winning basketball games," said Livingston at the Orlando Summer League. "At the end of the day if I'm on the court helping them win basketball games, I'm doing my job."
Livingston's job and his desire to get it back is what helped him get back to the NBA. After the injury he didn't play pro ball for almost two years. He played in the NBDL and then signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Miami HEAT for the 2008-09 season. Livingston played in only four games with the HEAT, then was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and promptly cut.
Then Sam Presti and the Thunder signed him up, intrigued by his potential. Being the pragmatic investor he is, Presti signed Livingston for the rest of 2008-09 and for 2009-10, just in case it worked out. The Thunder have been looking for young guys who fit a certain profile as they build a playoff team – smart, hard-working, athletic – and Livingston fits the bill.

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"That's what the organization is trying to build. Obviously it's all young guys and they're really turning it around, bringing in the guys they want and the talent that works - I think it's heading in the right direction."
It is, for the Thunder and for Livingston. Eight games is a small sample size from last season, but Livingston scored 7.8 points and dished 2.0 assists on 54% shooting in 23.8 minutes in those four games, very solid numbers for a player that is not only cheap ($884,881 in 2009-10) but extremely capable of running a NBA offense. With gazelles like starting point guard Russell Westbrook, former Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, forward Jeff Green, and rookie shooting guard James Harden, Livingston may be a perfect fit with his smarts and playmaking ability.
"The guys I'm playing with are really athletic. The number one thing, I think, is IQ for the game. It's huge, especially to the point guard and someone of my stature. It always works better if you've got guys who know how to play the game. Some of these guys don't know how to play the NBA game yet, but it's something they'll pick up. Like a sponge - gotta learn all the time."
Could this be the year the Thunder break through and make a playoff run? It's probably a tad early to say that, but the management structure is pleased with the team's progress and the players buy into the system that has been fostered by head coach Scott Brooks.
And, on top of that, they have smart point guards to run the in-game action.
"I think they've got confidence in our makeup as a team. I think they've got confidence in what we can do out there on the court. Obviously Russell last year had a great year for a rookie. I think they see obviously something down the line, something with the team we do have now."
Shaun Livingston may never be as athletic as he was before his injury, but he is still a very capable player and playing well as part of something that could into greatness down in Oklahoma City.


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