The Unfinished Tale of Shaun Livingston

The annals of basketball folklore are littered with tales of the fallen phenom.

Each era has its own compelling variations of the timeless fable, but as any high school English teacher will tell you, all classic tragedies end with denouncement. Whether it’s the result of poor advice from an unfortunate support system, halted development, attitude or injury, the story of the promising young star who never reached the glory for which they seemed so destined will always exist as an archetype for one of the game’s darker sides. Often times, harder than the fall from grace itself is breaking the stigma that comes with it; as Sam Bowie will tell you, the label of un-reached potential rarely wears away as quickly as the cartilage in these player’s knees.

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For a good portion of the 2000s, Shaun Livingston had already been penciled in as one of the more famous tragic heroes of these stories. During his legendary high school career in Peoria, Illinois, the 6’8” McDonald’s All-American point guard was often referred to as the next Magic Johnson. After initially committing to play for Duke, he ultimately declared for the 2004 NBA Draft and became the first point guard ever to jump straight to the NBA from high school when the Clippers took him fourth overall. In his first year as a starter in 2006-2007, he developed his fatal flaw when a freak injury left him with a knee mangled so severely, doctors contemplated amputating the limb all together.

Like a scarlet letter, Livingston’s tragic injury plagued him for the next six years as he attempted to salvage a career once saturated with promise. From 2008-2013, he experienced short stints in Miami, Oklahoma City, Washington, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Cleveland, but was never included in the teams’ long term plans. Finally, almost a decade after his name was called on draft day, the former fourth overall pick’s narrative began to change last year with the Brooklyn Nets. He became the NBA’s feel-good-story of the year, starting 56 games and considered by many as one of the biggest reasons for the team’s second-round playoff run.

After parlaying his comeback season into a slew of offers from potential suitors during his free agency this summer, Livingston declined offers of greater stability in years and salary in favor of the promising Golden State Warriors and a chance to rewrite his epic basketball odyssey one more time with a run at the NBA title.

For the Warriors, Livingston’s 6’8″ frame and versatile skillset has proved to be one of the team’s greatest tools for plugging holes of inefficiency.

His length allows him to guard positions 1-3 (even some stretch fours) and reach into passing lanes to force turnovers that spark the team’s devastating transition offense, an asset the team sorely lacked in last year’s reserves. Livingston 2.0’s steals rate this year has been twice as high as any number posted by any member of last year’s thin stable of reserve guards.

Beyond the devastating amount of real estate his unique wingspan allows him to cover, the second-string floor general, like many of this year’s Warriors, has an elite understanding and feel for the game. Take this clip for example:

Or this one against Houston last month:

In both instances, Livingston is in perfect position and once the errant pass is released, he allows his instincts to take over. The clips illustrate just how much of a nightmare his length and intelligence can be for an opposing offense.

Defense is hardly the only place the new Warrior point guard punishes opponents with his intellect. On a team that is considered one of the league’s best passing teams, Livingston is as gifted a distributor as any. His assist ratio of 31.3, is good enough for 12th in the league, ahead of such stars as Jeff Teague, Tony Parker, Kyle Lowry, Damian Lillard, Mike Conley and Stephen Curry himself.

After his backup point’s impressive performance in the Warriors’ impressive come-from-behind December 10th home win over Houston, coach Steve Kerr explained in the postgame press conference that, “Now that he has his legs underneath him (Livingston), we’re playing him more minutes and more with Steph (Curry).”

This may be where Livingston provides his greatest value of all to the team atop the NBA’s standings. His ability to play the point allows Curry to move off the ball, run off screens and concentrate on looking for his shot.

On the defensive end, Livingston’s length allows him to match up with a wing and Curry to remain on the opposing point guard even while, in theory, playing the shooting guard position on offense. This pairing will undoubtedly be extremely handy come playoff time, when games slow down and much of the offense will come out of the half-court, especially in the event that they draw slower and more physical teams like Houston and Memphis.

Furthermore, in the high-stakes atmosphere of playoff basketball, where every possession is more important than the last, Livingston’s ability to back down and shoot over his defender (almost always smaller guards) in the post and short-corner area along the baseline could prove to be a weapon Kerr and staff use far more frequently than they have thus far.

January 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) dribbles the basketball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard

Russell Westbrook

(0) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 117-91. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

If the description of Shaun Livingston’s purpose on the Warriors sounds familiar, it’s because it should. The majority of what he brings to the table — ability as a secondary ball handler and a long, pesky defender — is almost identical to the job description laid out a year ago upon the arrival of Andre Iguodala. While the pricy free agent signee has been extremely valuable to the team on both ends, the experiment with him as a secondary ball handler and backup point guard has largely net mediocre results. Livingston is a legitimate point guard having played the position his entire life and alleviating Iguodala of the duties should likely help the latter’s production, as he is once again able to focus on defending and slashing the lane on offense.

But the similarities in the two players’ skillsets does get at a bigger question, one that has been referred to by Grantland’s Zach Lowe as, “The white elephant in the room”: The dilemma of resigning invaluable third year forward Draymond Green, an issue BMH’s Greg Chin wrote about last month. The issue has only gained traction since ESPN’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss posed the plausible scenario of Draymond commanding max value on the open market.

If they decide they do not want to pay the luxury tax, the Warriors’ best option may very well be sending off Iguodola in a salary dump type move similar to the one that sent Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins to Utah, which ironically free up space to sign him. While it’s beginning to look like management will have to bite the bullet of enduring the luxury tax — and it would certainly be painful to watch such a team-oriented player go — Livingston’s presence certainly would soften the blow if ownership decides to take the route of dumping Iguodala to avoid the tax.

At this stage of a record-breaking season, it may seem like a reach to place this kind of value on Livingston. His minutes have been spotty at best, as have his numbers. However, much like the perspective he has gained through the challenges of his early career, Livingston holds far more value in the Warriors’ big picture plan for the season than the he does right now in the dog days leading up to the All-Star break. There will undoubtedly come a time when the cruising Warriors are slowed to a standstill by the post-season style of play and a team that has game-planned diligently for a full series with them. Rest assured, at such a time, Kerr will look to his resilient 6’8” reserve point guard to patch the leak. Livingston’s turnaround jumper along the baseline has become deadly, as has his knack for peering over his helpless defender to find a cutting teammate.

But the former teenage lottery pick’s mindset is where he holds the greatest edge of all. For a man who once faced the prospect of losing his leg at age 21, crunch time in the playoffs is child’s play.