Is anyone else really high on Livers?

[zeebneeb]

I'm not sure if I can really pinpoint what it is, but last year, you could tell he was recovering from his surgery, and rehabbing out on the floor at times. He looked confident though, and made the right decisions. He is a big 6'7. Could easily play PF full-time, but also play some 3.

Summer league is what kind of shocked me. You can't take much from that, but his leaping ability seemed to be back from his college days, and his defense seemed on point.

For someone who was basically an afterthought for most everyone here, what's your expectations of him? He seems really versatile out on the floor, switches nicely, and is fully engaged, chirping constantly on defense. His three point shot is smooth, and with the return of his athleticism, he could be a consistent lob threat for the guards.

Could this guy actually become a starter? He seems to have something, that leads me to believe that if not a starter, then a hugely valuable player off the bench.

[grpistons]

I think he could be a potential starter alongside Bey at the 3/4. I am higher on him than most though. He just looks like a solid legit NBA player out there unlike some other guys on the team.

[MotownMadness]

Im high on him for what he is. Don't expect him to become anything all that special though.

[Cowology]

I like the guy a lot but would still consider him a role player. He plays like a coaches son; is going to execute on the X's & O's, will make the high percentage team play, etc. Very few mental errors or lapses. You just don't usually see rookies that polished/poised. Granted he's an older rookie at 23 (now 24).

High bball IQ, size and ability to shoot. Livers is going to have a decent career. I dunno that he'll be more than a Battier/Prince level guy (which is pretty damn good) but he's still got room to grow, so we'll see. I like him as a 4th/5th starter in the glue-guy role.

[edmunder_prc]

For anyone who isnt a star - it all depends on the contract.

He could be a 6th or 7th guy for WCF/ECF type team. No problem. If he wants a bunch of money it will be an issue. Same for Bey, Stewart.

Livers has offense, defense and smarts. Plus he is 6'7" with at least average NBA athleticism.

I'm excited for him and hope he is awesome. The main thing in the way is that the team has WAY too many guys who need playing time. So SF has Bey playing 30+ minutes a night, then Diallo and Livers. Or PF has Bagley, KO, possibly Stewart and then Livers?

Best bet for minutes is backing up Bey at SF, plus it gives him size advantage and he can actually guard SFs unlike Bey who has issues with speed. 15 minutes a night is not much.

[bstein14]

I'm also high on him and think he could end up being a long time starter at the NBA level with a Tayshaun Prince like impact. Not a top 3 player on a good team or anything, but a good glue guy and role player.... and for where he was drafted that role would be huge for him.

I would love to see him get 20-24 MPG this season to see what we've really got with him.

I think its possible, given his shooting and his defense, he does more to impact winning this year than Bey does which says a lot because Bey I think is very likely to be an efficient 18+ PPG player for us. But I really like what Livers bring to the table in his all around game a bit more than what Bey brings at the moment. Livers did just turn 24 and Bey is still just 23.

Stewart - Livers - Bey - Ivey - Cade I think could be our starters this year and I'd be pretty happy with that group out there.

[bstein14]

For anyone who isnt a star - it all depends on the contract.

He could be a 6th or 7th guy for WCF/ECF type team. No problem. If he wants a bunch of money it will be an issue. Same for Bey, Stewart.

Livers has offense, defense and smarts. Plus he is 6'7" with at least average NBA athleticism.

I'm excited for him and hope he is awesome. The main thing in the way is that the team has WAY too many guys who need playing time. So SF has Bey playing 30+ minutes a night, then Diallo and Livers. Or PF has Bagley, KO, possibly Stewart and then Livers?

Best bet for minutes is backing up Bey at SF, plus it gives him size advantage and he can actually guard SFs unlike Bey who has issues with speed. 15 minutes a night is not much.

For sure the biggest eye opener in the Summer League this year was seeing Livers actually being athletic. You can tell he wasn't going 100% all out on everything as a rookie but that makes sense coming back from a major injury. He was back to being 100% capable of making moves and player defense and it was great to see, even if it was just against Summer League competition.

[grpistons]

For anyone who isnt a star - it all depends on the contract.

He could be a 6th or 7th guy for WCF/ECF type team. No problem. If he wants a bunch of money it will be an issue. Same for Bey, Stewart.

Livers has offense, defense and smarts. Plus he is 6'7" with at least average NBA athleticism.

I'm excited for him and hope he is awesome. The main thing in the way is that the team has WAY too many guys who need playing time. So SF has Bey playing 30+ minutes a night, then Diallo and Livers. Or PF has Bagley, KO, possibly Stewart and then Livers?

Best bet for minutes is backing up Bey at SF, plus it gives him size advantage and he can actually guard SFs unlike Bey who has issues with speed. 15 minutes a night is not much.

For sure the biggest eye opener in the Summer League this year was seeing Livers actually being athletic. You can tell he wasn't going 100% all out on everything as a rookie but that makes sense coming back from a major injury. He was back to being 100% capable of making moves and player defense and it was great to see, even if it was just against Summer League competition.

I think most people who watched him at Michigan already knew he was a pretty capable athlete.

[theBigLip]

I’m a Wolverine so I might be biased, but I watched a lot of his college games. Totally unselfish and always made the right decision. He was going to be a first round pick until he got hurt. So it doesn’t surprise me that he looks good now that he’s healthy. Great pick and he should be rotation player at a minimum, starter most likely.

[GreekAlex]

I very high on him. My only concern is his durability.

I believe he has a history of random injuries, nothing specific that’s reoccurring though.

[bstein14]

For anyone who isnt a star - it all depends on the contract.

He could be a 6th or 7th guy for WCF/ECF type team. No problem. If he wants a bunch of money it will be an issue. Same for Bey, Stewart.

Livers has offense, defense and smarts. Plus he is 6'7" with at least average NBA athleticism.

I'm excited for him and hope he is awesome. The main thing in the way is that the team has WAY too many guys who need playing time. So SF has Bey playing 30+ minutes a night, then Diallo and Livers. Or PF has Bagley, KO, possibly Stewart and then Livers?

Best bet for minutes is backing up Bey at SF, plus it gives him size advantage and he can actually guard SFs unlike Bey who has issues with speed. 15 minutes a night is not much.

For sure the biggest eye opener in the Summer League this year was seeing Livers actually being athletic. You can tell he wasn't going 100% all out on everything as a rookie but that makes sense coming back from a major injury. He was back to being 100% capable of making moves and player defense and it was great to see, even if it was just against Summer League competition.

I think most people who watched him at Michigan already knew he was a pretty capable athlete.

One of his pre-draft knocks was lack of athleticism.

Strengths: A sturdy 6’7 230 lb combo forward who enjoyed a pretty solid career in the Big 10 … Savvy frontcourt player who likes to face up, but has the frame to bang with most PFs too … Knockdown 3 point shooter, proved to be a valuable floor spacer throughout his college career (43% 3FG as a Sr., 41% for his career) … Very effective as a spot up shooter or in the pick and pop game, possesses a quick, high release that he shoots with confidence … Gets a good amount of corner 3s, seems to be his most comfortable shot area … Uses the threat of his jumper to occasionally open downhill driving lanes for himself…Unselfish player, showing solid feel for the game and a willingness to play within a team structure, doesn’t force shots or action … Has developed adequate court vision and passing skills (2apg as a Sr.) and is more than just a catch and shoot offensive player … Physical player who handles contact well on both ends of the court, showing good strength at the point of attack…Understands positioning and does a nice job of moving his feet to cut off dribble penetration or lead ball-handlers into help defenders … Doesn’t give up on plays and looks to recover when beat off the dribble, became a more devoted defender each season while in college … Smart movement without the ball, makes good reads on whether to get open at the 3 point line or cutting to the basket…Great at the foul line when he gets there (87% FT shooter as a Sr., 85% for his career) … More of a half-court player, but can be a factor finishing at the rim after running the floor in transition after turnovers …

Weaknesses: Not particularly quick or athletic for a forward prospect by NBA standards … Strong, but standing at 6’7 Livers is slightly undersized for someone who projects as more of a PF at the NBA level … Not a bad ball-handler but he does not project to be much of a factor off the bounce due to the lack of separation he gets … Often settled for tightly contested mid-range shots off the dribble because he wasn’t able to get to the rim consistently in college … Can be scored over by lengthy players, but also can be beat off the dribble by more quick players … Needs a solid team defense around him to be most effective on that end … More of a catch and shoot player, decisive with the ball but loses effectiveness with his scoring the more he dribbles…Average at best on the glass (career high 6 rpg as a Sr.), mostly rebounds in his area … Doesnt possess the explosiveness to finish above the rim much in half court offense, and has some struggles converting amongst the trees (shot under 50% inside the arc his last 2 seasons) … The minimal post up possessions he did show at Michigan don’t seem likely to transfer to the NBA level much … Will be 23 years old at the start of his rookie season, making his upside appear to be limited …

[mattao313]

If he can become Reggie bullock I'll be happy

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[vic]

I think he’s a championship level glue guy. I haven’t watched Michigan the past few seasons, so last year was my first time seeing him play… loved his game.

He’s a keeper. You absolutely need several guys like him with IQ, shooting, good attitudes, solid defense, but not trying to be a superstar iso ball handler every game. That’s how you win.

Hopefully Saddiq gets back to a higher percentage (70/30) of the 3&D play style from his rookie year. I don’t mind Saddiq expanding his game for late clock situations, but when it’s time to start winning I don’t see Saddiq isos as the ticket.

I could see us wearing teams out with Saddiq, Livers, & Beef Stew spacing the floor while Cade and Jaden attack the paint, and Duren & Bagley are the lob threats. That’s the next Piston contender I can see.

But yeah Livers needs to put his mark on the team this year. In my eyes he’s a foundational piece.

[NYPiston]

I'm a big fan. I love these two way, high IQ players. He's kind of like a Villanova guy, team (glue) guy that can shoot and has good basketball fundamentals to go along with tireless work ethic. I think his athleticism is a little underrated too.

I see him as a poor mans' Mikhail Bridges, could potentially be as good or like a Grant Williams type. I don't think we have anybody like him on the team so I see him playing a big support role going forward and I could actually see him get some crunch time minutes as early as this season. He'll never be a star or anything close to that but they won't need him to be.
Seems like a great guy too, the kind of guy that teammates gravitate towards on and off the court. So... yeah, I guess you can say that I like him haha.

[Moses ShamMoses]

I've been pleasantly surprised and happy with Livers. He just "gets it" and looks comfortable out there. I don't have any specific expectations other than valuable role player with some moderate optimism he can become a starter level glue guy. He seems more like a mid first round talent than mid second round talent for sure. Way better than guys like Sirvydus or Saben lee lol

[Billl]

I'm high on him.... for a second round pick. I think he could be a solid rotation guy. Works hard, plays d, good size, can shoot the ball. If he keeps going in this direction, he looks like a guy who will just make fundamentally sound basketball plays in a reliable way.

Do I think he's a starting quality 4 on a contender? No. I don't think he has that sort of upside. A quality rotation guy is still great value from a second rounder though.

[Invictus88]

I think so far Livers has outperformed his draft slot; demonstrating his ceiling is much higher than someone who is taken where he was taken. However, he has yet to consistently demonstrate these qualities for a sustained period due mainly to lack of opportunity.

He's in the honeymoon period where he's shown some really good stuff and hasn't shown any warts in a very, very limited sample size.

Being a Michigan fan I want to believe that he will turn into a solid starter based on three and D qualities alone. However, any certainty that I would put forth on that front is from bias / homerism. Hopefully early this season he puts forth performances that back it up but he's not there yet.

[440BB]

I'm a Spartan and was excited we snagged him in the draft. He brings a lot of the things that make a team better beyond stats. I expect him, if healthy, to become a consistent contributor this season as backup SF and challenge Bey for the starting spot. Pretty good chance he ends up being the steal from the 2021 draft.

[whitehops]

i really like him as a complementary player and i think the one thing that we can reliably count on him for is elite shooting in catch and shoot situations. he only shot 64 3s last season and made 42% but that just reinforces his four years of college shooting 41% from 3 on 398 attempts.

i also really like him in the starting lineup (or closing lineup) considering he is a great shooter, plays smart team basketball and doesn't need the ball to provide value. with cade, bey and burks/ivey there's already enough on-ball creation so it's great to have a guy like livers.

[buzzkilloton]

Weaver bought the dip on his draft stock due to injury and now were reaping the reward. He would of been a lock first rounder if not for injury.

With the amount of talent we are collecting I dont think he will be a long term starter. He might be a short term starter but were going to be stacked in the coming years its gonna be hard to hold a spot. I'm not against it if he keeps improving of course I do love his 3nD game.