John Calipari watched Chris Livingston work out on Tuesday

On Monday night, John Calipari was in Los Angeles to watch a trio of his former Wildcats in the NBA Playoffs. A day later, he stuck around the City of Angels to meet with Chris Livingston, who is in the process of determining whether or not to keep his name in the 2023 NBA Draft pool or potentially return to Kentucky for a sophomore season.

Calipari tweeted on Tuesday that he attended a workout in Los Angeles to see Livingston in person. L.A. is the home base for the Klutch Sports Group agency, which represents Livingston as a client. The rising sophomore is still currently going through the pre-draft process.

“Had a chance to watch @_chrisliv24 work out today and WOW!! He got so much better for us by the end of the year and he looks like he’s taken another leap forward,” Calipari tweeted. “Chris is one of the most driven, caring, smart kids I’ve ever coached. I absolutely love him.”

The NBA Draft Combine is scheduled for May 15-21 with the deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft set for May 31. It is unknown at this time if Livingston will participate in the Combine.

Had a chance to watch @_chrisliv24 work out today and WOW!! He got so much better for us by the end of the year and he looks like he’s taken another leap forward.

Chris is one of the most driven, caring, smart kids I’ve ever coached. I absolutely love him.

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) May 9, 2023

As Calipari says in his tweet, Livingston improved greatly from the beginning of his freshman season in 2022-23 to the end. Across 18 SEC games this past season (17 of them starts), the 6-foot-6 wing averaged 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per outing while shooting 40.0 percent from the floor. He finished the year playing at least 32 minutes in 11 straight contests.

Livingston was tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman Team as a result and eventually declared for the NBA Draft in the middle of April. His decision to do so was met with some raised eyebrows, considering he’s not currently projected to hear his name called in either of the two rounds.

But the belief has been that Klutch, which represents some of the NBA’s biggest stars in LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, De’Aaron Fox, and many more, would help Livingston find a guaranteed spot in the draft. Whether or not that actually happens could decide his future in Lexington.

Also of note, Kentucky is expected to host San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson beginning on Wednesday. Johnson is a 6-foot-7 forward who plays a similar style to Livingston but with three more seasons of college basketball experience under his belt.

Is Calipari trying to send a message to Livingston and his camp that he should come back to UK for another season of college ball?