3 Kentucky basketball stars who won’t be back and why

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 19: Oscar Tshiebwe #34 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates with Lance Ware #55 and Chris Livingston #24 during the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 19, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 19: Oscar Tshiebwe #34 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates with Lance Ware #55 and Chris Livingston #24 during the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 19, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Kentucky basketball, Kentucky Wildcats
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 19: Chris Livingston #24 of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts during the second half Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 19, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

Kentucky basketball star Chris Livingston won’t be back next season

It took about midway through the season for Chris Livingston to become a key piece of John Calipari’s rotation. That’s often the case with freshmen, as Coach Cal asks a lot of his freshmen, especially on the defensive end.

Livingston was a consensus five-star recruit out of high school and chose the Kentucky Wildcats over the Georgetown Hoyas. Livingston may very well test the NBA waters this spring and has the physical tools to become a solid player at the next level.

Livingston is a 6-foot-6 wing who loves to attack the basket. He’s not a great shooter from beyond the arc, but over time, he can definitely improve in that area.

Livingston’s season-high was only 14 points in the Wildcats game against UCLA back in December, and the Akron, Ohio native did record 15 rebounds during UK’s game against the Florida Gators back in February.

The Kentucky Wildcats have a stacked recruiting class with incoming freshman forward Justin Edwards. Even if Livingston does return to college basketball next season, there’s a good chance that he’ll enter the transfer portal and play for a different school in 2023-24.