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2000-2001 in Review: After seemingly revitalizing his career by playing 79 games with the Phoenix Suns as a backup to Jason Kidd during the 1999-2000 season, Randy Livingston found the free agent market surprisingly cool. He ended up with the Seattle SuperSonics during training camp and was never really a factor to make the team, at best fourth on the depth chart at point guard. After being cut, Livingston headed back to the CBA, where he had spent the majority of the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. Playing with the Idaho Stampede, Livingston put together a solid campaign, averaging slightly better than 14 points and 7 assists per ballgame, along with over two steals per. Early in the season, he spent a week with the Golden State Warriors, his fourth NBA franchise. In the continued march towards an NBA pension, Livingston was able to add just two games, seven minutes, and zero points. Previous NBA Career: Livingston is considered one of the poster cases in favor of allowing high schoolers to enter the NBA Draft. One of the most heralded high school players in the time before such players did enter the Draft, Livingston was Gatorade's 1993 national high school player of the year. It was with great fanfare that he decided to attend Louisiana State University during the Tigers' heyday -- Shaquille O'Neal was only a year back. However, before Livingston could even set foot on campus, he suffered a torn ACL during a basketball camp and was forced to redshirt. It would not be the last that Livingston would face injury troubles. After an excellent start to his freshman campaign that saw him miss an SEC record by only one assist with 19 in one contest, while averaging nine assists per game, Livingston broke his kneecap. Then, in his sophomore season, Livingston suffered through back pains. All told, the phenom, the can't miss kid, played just 29 games at LSU before declaring for the 1996 NBA Draft. Livingston's injury history made him a question mark, and he lasted until the second round, being selected by Houston with their 42nd pick. During his rookie season with the Rockets, Livingston backed up starter Matt Maloney and played about 15 minutes per game, displaying flashes of his previous brilliance but generally struggling. During 1997 training camp, the Rockets sent Livingston packing. He was picked up by the Atlanta Hawks, who employed him off and on throughout the 1997-98 season, three stints in all that totaled just 80 minutes of game action. When he wasn't with the Hawks, Livingston was with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the CBA, where he averaged 15 points and 7 assists per game. During the 1998-99 season, Livingston spent more time with Sioux Falls, where he made the All-CBA second team despite seeing his numbers drop virtually across the board from the previous season. Livingsont spent a week with the Miami Heat during the regular season, but failed to see any action, and then was signed by the Phoenix Suns at the very end of the regular season to back up Jason Kidd following an injury. He played one regular season game and then all three playoff games as the Suns were swept out of the playoffs. However, they were sold on Livingston, who returned as Kidd's backup for the 1999-2000 season. For the first time in his career, Livingston appeared to really be ensconced as an NBA player, appearing in 79 games and playing over 1000 minutes for the first time. In 14 minutes per, Livingston averaged nearly 4 points and better than 2 assists. At the end of the season, Kidd went out with injury and Livingston was thrust into the starting job, where he held his own starting three playoff games as the Suns advanced to the second round.
Shooting/Scoring: Livingston entered the NBA with a repuatation as an 'underrated' shooter, but
he has yet to really prove this correct on the court. In his NBA career, Livingston's field goal percentage
is a middling 42%, though a decent 36% from three. These numbers aren't too far different from the ones he
has posted in the CBA. Livingston can make from the outside, but he's likely the player a defense is going
to double off of. Before injuries robbed him of his speed, Livingston was explosive driving to the lane, but
now he is merely adequate in this regard. He is a solid free-throw shooter.
Floor Game: As noted, at LSU Livingston was as good a distributor as any in the country. Again,
injuries have largely robbed him of this ability, as he has struggled in this regard, with an NBA assist-to
ratio worse than two and mediocre assist per minute numbers. Livingston will generally get the ball into
a scorer's hands as opposed to proactively creating on his own at the NBA level. Turns it over too much
for someone who is playing that role.
Rebounding: With good size for a point guard, Livingston should be -- and has been, at least
during his CBA peak -- a larger factor on the boards. In the NBA, he's averaged about a rebound every
10 minutes, right around -- if not a little below -- average for a point guard. On offense, he is usually on
the perimeter, but he is about even on both boards.
Defense: At this stage of his career, defense is the main pro in Livingston's game. At 6-4 and 209,
he has the body to defend almost any point guard at any level, and though not as quick as he was in his
younger days, Livingston can stay with most backup points. His steal numbers have been impressive in
the CBA, but only about average in the NBA. Generally a strong team defender.
Intangibles: Unlike others facing similarly devestating injuries, Livingston has refused to go quietly
into the night and has scraped together a decent career for himself. Not considered any trouble on or off the
court.
Overall: After again failing to impress in an NBA training camp this fall, this time with the Utah Jazz,
it's been back to the CBA for Livingston. He was briefly with the Gary Steelheads before being released and
returning to Sioux Falls. So far, it's been the worst CBA season of his career, with a frigid field goal
percentage in the 30's and points per game down to about 11. Nevertheless, Livingston has been given a
chance by the Sonics, desperate for roster help with three players injured, including backup point Earl
Watson. It's doubtful that Livingston will get the chance to play any serious rotation minutes in Seattle,
but he may complement Shammond Williams when Williams struggles defensively. It's an important 10-day
contract for Livingston; although he's only going on 27, he has seemed to regress in recent years and his
NBA life may be flashing before his eyes. April 1 Update: Livingston proved to be exactly what the Sonics needed after they signed him to a 10-day contract on March 8. He took only a week to usurp the role of backup point guard from Shammond Williams thanks to heady play and defensive intensity. In his first 119 minutes in Seattle, Livingston did not commit a turnover, which led the team to sign him first to another 10-day contract and subsequently for the season.
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