Shaun Livingston, once the fourth pick in a draft stocked with prep-to-pro talent, was robbed of his full potential because of knee injuries, now gets to showcase his worth because of Stephen Curry’s health concerns.
Shaun Livingston was the second-highest rated high school senior in 2004, behind only Dwight Howard. He had all the tools: a 6-foot-6, 170-pound point guard with excellent ballhandling skills and the ability to score from multiple points on the floor. After originally committing to Duke, Livingston opted to enter the NBA Draft.
Drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers, Livingston only played 91 games during his first two seasons.
On Feb. 26, 2007, he was averaging nine points and five assists for the Clippers when the upstart third-year guard suffered a serious knee injury against the Charlotte Bobcats. Just about everything in his knee was shattered (torn ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus along with a dislocated kneecap) and there were thoughts at one point that amputation would be necessary.
After missing the entire next season, Livingston struggled to find his footing, bouncing around the league until 2013. Stops included the Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavavliers as well as a stint with the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League.
Related Story: 25 Best Players To Play For The Golden State Warriors
Livingston was at crossroads when he signed a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets to back up point guard Deron Williams. He averaged 26 minutes a game, putting up eight points, three rebounds and three assists a night. More importantly, flashes of the talent that led to him being selected fourth overall were seen for the first time since he shattered his leg in 2007.
Defensively he made the Nets eight points better per 100 possessions.
Livingston showed enough in his season with the Nets to earn a three-year deal with the Golden State Warriors. In his first season in Golden State, he averaged a modest five points in 18 minutes per game. Livingston, however, was a key piece off the bench in the Warriors’ championship season.
He put on a show against the Houston Rockets in the opening game of last year’s Western Conference Finals, dropping 18 points and adding seven rebounds.
This year Livingston averaged just less than 20 minutes a game during the Warriors’ record-breaking 73-win season, filling in for Stephen Curry during the season and keeping the team afloat.
Curry missed Games 2 and 3 of the Dubs’ first-round series with the Houston Rockets. In each of those games, Livingston scored 16 points.
Sunday, after Curry was unable to play because of a knee injury of his own, Livingston stepped up again and scored nine points, with nine assists and five rebounds.
With Curry sure to be out the lineup in Game 5, Livingston will likely be handed the keys to the machine that is Golden State Wednesday.
Vertical Sources: Steph Curry's MRI on knee has returned negative, no damage, a Grade 1 sprain. Could miss two weeks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 25, 2016
More hoops habit: The 30 Best Point Guards of All-Time
The fact that he can even play is something fans should cherish, let alone run the league’s best team while the reigning MVP deals with his injuries.