Rich Paul questions John Calipari's role in Chris Livingston's draft stock falling: 'Someone has to be held accountable'

John Calipari has turned recruit after recruit and player after player into top prospects for the NBA Draft. However, when it comes to those who haven’t developed into surefire pros under him, there appears to be a call for some more liability from him.

During an interview on ‘Gil’s Arena’, Rich Paul, the CEO of KLUTCH Sports Group, appeared to question the methods of coaches, including Calipari, who don’t deliver on getting players into the league. For example, he referenced one of his own clients, Chris Livingston, a top prospect and player for Kentucky in ’22-’23, and how his college experience cost him in his jump to the NBA.

“Like last year with a guy like Chris Livingston? He was 12th going into Kentucky when he went there. When he left there? You know, like, they’re talking about he can barely be a pro. How?” Paul thought. “He’s 6’7, athletic, long. Like, great kid. How is that possible? And who’s taking responsibility for that?”

That’s where having to answer for that kind of slide comes into the equation for Paul. When that happens to a player under a coach’s watch, he thinks that they should be as responsible as anyone for it. It’s no different to him than when a student doesn’t reach their potential under the guidance of their teacher.

“That’s the thing. Someone has to be held accountable because, I would think, if I was coaching a young man or young woman? When you come in here, my job is either you’re leaving here just as good as you did when you came in or better. There’s no way you’re leaving here worse because I’m taking the responsibility,” Paul said. “If I’m to the level and you’re saying that I’m this coach and we’re this institution? Then I have to hold myself accountable as well.”

“It’s just like being in school,” added Paul. As a teacher, you’re not going to feel good just passing a kid along for the sake of passing a kid along, although it’s happening in many public schools in urban communities for many years. That don’t feel good and you know that don’t feel good – the same way as this.”

Livingston arrived in Lexington as a five-star and the No. 16 player in the nation per On3’s 2022 Industry Rankings. He was the No. 6 SF in the class and the top recruit out of Virginia after finishing his high school career at Oak Hill Academy.

In his lone season at Kentucky, Livingston averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds over 34 games. That underwhelmed from his ceiling coming into college, which led to his slide down boards to a projected second-round selection.

Still, Paul, one of the most influential people around the NBA, got him to be a pick in the end. After cancelling his remaining workouts in the pre-draft process, Livingston was the No. 58 pick, the last one in the 2023 NBA Draft, by the Milwaukee Bucks. He then signed a four-year, $7.7 million deal with the franchise in the largest deal ever for a final selection in the draft.

As a rookie, Livingston appeared in 21 games for Milwaukee and posted 1.2 points and a rebounds. He also spent 20 games on assignment in the G-League with the Wisconsin Herd.

Paul may have a point in this instance regarding his client in Livingston. However, Calipari also has more than a few players that out-performed their initial rankings to become top-notch players in the NBA. He had several of those amongst his 47 selections while as head coach at Kentucky. A few more will join that group later this week in the 2024 NBA Draft.

You wouldn’t expect anything less than an agent like Paul standing up for someone he represents like Livingston. Still, it sounds pretty clear that he wasn’t thrilled with how that one season turned out under Calipari.