[Old General Record] Legend of Gao Point Guard: Nets Dark Horse! Warriors Elder!

Point guard is the shortest average height among the five positions in basketball. But if there is a swingman in your team who is close to the height of a swingman but has a technical vision of a point guard, then you can often have unexpected chemical reactions when facing the opponent's shortest player.

In modern basketball system, high point guards not only mean physical advantages, but also flexibility in defensive transfers, which also means that tall point guards can often have different special values.

Looking at history, high point guard talents emerged, from Magic Johnson, to Penny Hardaway, Oscar Robertson, Tyrek Evans, later Ben Simmons, Luca Doncic, and even veteran James. Although he is a top small forward, he has been the core ball possession point of his career.

And the protagonist of this article is also such a future hope that was once regarded as a high point guard: Sean Livingston.

In high school, Livingston was 201 tall and had a wingspan of 211. She was the genius of high school students in the United States after Dwight Howard. After receiving the Duke University scholarship, she boldly chose to skip the high school level directly. Such a start was destined to not be simple and ordinary in his career, but before officially stepping onto the stage, fate prepared him a series of tests.

Since entering the league, Livingston has been a typical tall and thin point guard figure. But such a special body size also caused him to suffer nightmarish injuries: the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, meniscus torn, knee dislocation, medial collateral ligament strain...

Every time of recovery was like racing against time. After the serious injury, it took Livingston a full 20 months to return to the court, but he once again returned to his pre-injury peak level, which was six years later when the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In July 2013, Livingston signed a one-year contract with the Nets. The Nets seemed to have a luxurious lineup that season, but the season was a disaster. When center Brooke Lopez was reimbursed early in the season, Garnett's condition declined significantly. In the first 30 games of the season, the team only won 10 wins. But under the crisis, Livingston gradually began to find his own opportunities.

Since January 2014, Livingston has started as the team's starter. With the advantage of height, you can face swing people, and at the same time, you do not occupy a lot of shooting rights, and allocate the ball rights to the team's core players.

Under the trust of coach Kidd, Livingston scored 54 starts and started 10 games in the playoffs, averaging 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of nearly 50%. This adjustment also completely changed the fate of the Nets' season. The team, which was originally weak in offense, made a rebound start of 10 games with 9 wins and finally entered the playoffs with 44 wins and 38 losses, defeating the Raptors in the first round, but eventually lost to the Heat in the second round.

2013-14 season was also the peak of Livingston's career data, with a mid-range jump shot shooting rate of 46.7%, and a 50 dunks in the season. High-level data such as OBPM and DBPM were the highest in their careers, and their attendance and athletic ability also reached their peak. Relying on his high point guard's figure and overall situation in those years proved that he can not only defend multiple positions, but also organize offense efficiently, providing the team with stable contributions on both offense and defense.

Time comes July 2014, Livingston became a free agent and joined the Warriors to start the last chapter of his career.

Under the offensive system of the Splash Brothers, although Livingston is not known for shooting three-pointers, he can play a role in low-post singles, turnover jump shots and mid-range offenses with his tall size and ball quotient. More importantly, on the defensive end, he can defend multiple positions and become an indispensable green leaf character in the team's second team. The Warriors won three championships with the team in five years, realizing their dream of winning.

In the summer of 2019, the Warriors signed first and then exchanged to welcome Russell, and had to choose to cut Livingston to meet the salary space. On September 23 of the same year, Sean Livingston officially announced his retirement, ending his 15-year career.

For this Phoenix Nirvana player, why do you particularly emphasize his Nets story instead of the Warriors' triple-tall experience?

Compared with the well-known Warriors era, Livingston at the Nets stage is the turning point to find the direction for his NBA career. Although his personal data is not dazzling, with only 8.3 points and 3.2 assists per game, the value he brings to the team is far beyond the data itself.

Looking back at the history of NBA, there are many seriously injured players, but the valuable thing about Livingston is that even if he suffers serious injuries close to amputation, he can still overcome his mental and physical limits and return to the field, and insist on running on the field for many years.

Maybe he will never be able to enter the Hall of Fame, but for his ups and downs in his basketball life, every extra game is the best proof of his will and love.