Calipari still saying he wants Livingston at the four, but not if he's giving up points

In Kentucky Basketball‘s win over Yale, Chris Livingston showed some flashes of what he can contribute offensively but still saw limited minutes due to his deficiencies on the defensive end. The true freshman scored seven points in 10 minutes in the first half before finding a seat on the bench for all but three minutes in the second. He finished with those seven first-half points and two assists.

After the game, John Calipari pointed to one play in particular that cost Livingston his opportunity for more playing time. A defensive lapse, Livingston gave up a three-pointer in a tight game and was called straight to the bench for a seat.

“The only reason I took him out,” Calipari explained. “He left the best shooter on the court. He left him. And they made a three. And I said, I don’t care about you missing shots. I don’t care. But this game is too close to have you not realize you’re not leaving that guy. And I said, you’re fine. But we’re trying to win the game.”

Livingston said improving his defense is a major point of emphasis as he gets acclimated to the college level. Asked by Jack Givens about weaknesses, Livingston replied, “As you reach the next level from high school and make it to college and make that big jump, the defensive side of the ball is a lot more emphasized than it was in high school I just got to continue to lock in on that side of the ball and keeping doing what I’m doing.”

However, he is getting more comfortable by the game offensively and he believes his ability to take defenders off the dribble will keep getting him looks within the rotation.

“I think that just adds to my versatility of where I can get the ball, where I can be on the floor, and that helps with the spacing as far as the offense with the team, so I think that’s a really good asset that we need.”

Livingston added that pushing the tempo plays in his favor as well.

“That’s how I’ve been playing my whole life. As an athlete, that’s the pace I want to play with and Kentucky Basketball is known for that.”

Livingston at the four

John Calipari has said on multiple occasions in the last few weeks that he intends to play Livingston more at the four. Those intentions have not made it onto the basketball court because Livingston saw only a minute or two at the four in the first half versus Yale, but it is still a part of the plan moving forward, Calipari reiterated after Saturday’s win.

The topic came up when Tom Leach asked the popular question many are wondering: if Livingston will get more opportunities in that role, to which Calipari replied, “I’m gonna do that more. But again, he needs to be scrimmaging at the four. I can’t just throw him in and say I hope he knows what he’s doing. It’s not fair. But he is the greatest kid. He’s, you know, you think, this has been hard for him. And it’s been hard for us because, again, I’m looking at this saying I believe his toughness and his ability, basketball skill, is going to be that extra that we need.”

Almost all of Livingston’s playing time to date has been spent on the wing beside two guards and two other forwards inside.