Chris Livingston is staying in the NBA Draft. Here’s what that means for Kentucky.

One of the biggest stay-or-go decisions of this Kentucky basketball offseason has finally been made, and it didn’t go the Wildcats’ way.

Chris Livingston has chosen to remain in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Livingston — a 6-foot-6 wing from Akron, Ohio — was a McDonald’s All-American recruit in the 2022 class and a complementary player as a freshman on the Cats’ 2022-23 squad, but he was viewed as a possible game-changing returnee for next season’s UK roster.

Instead, he’ll be heading to the pros, despite not being widely projected as an NBA Draft pick this year.

That projection could obviously change between now and the June 22 draft for Livingston, who has the physical makeup, athleticism, off-court maturity and general upside to be a logical second-round selection for an NBA franchise willing to take a chance on his long-term potential.

Livingston started 26 games for Kentucky during the 2022-23 season, and he was one of just two players — joining senior guard Antonio Reeves — to appear in all 34 games for the injury-plagued Wildcats, but he largely filled a supporting role for Coach John Calipari in his only season with the program.

Ultimately, he averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Cats, making key plays in some big games but rarely rising to the level of standout player as a freshman. Livingston scored in double figures just seven times this past season and grabbed more than 10 rebounds in a game only once. Yet, his intangibles, hard-nosed play and willingness to attempt any task put before him, led to constant praise from Calipari and his older teammates, as well as adulation from Kentucky fans.

Livingston scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in UK’s loss to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March, and he was the last Wildcat to leave the Greensboro Coliseum court — his head down, with assistant coach Chin Coleman consoling him as they walked off the floor — following that season-ending defeat.

Three weeks later, Livingston officially declared for the NBA Draft, though he left the option open to return to Kentucky.

“Basketball means everything to me, and it was a dream of mine to be part of an incredible basketball program like the University of Kentucky,” Livingston said in his initial announcement, thanking everyone involved with UK’s program. “With that being said… it’s only up from here.”

At the NBA Combine in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, Livingston told the Herald-Leader that he had still not made a decision on his future and said he would factor in the feedback he received during meetings with NBA personnel before making a final call on what to do next.

Obviously, Livingston heard enough to keep his name in the 2023 draft, bypassing his final three years of college eligibility and the chance to boost his stock at Kentucky next season. He revealed his intentions Wednesday, the deadline day for college players to remove their names from the draft and return to school.

Livingston’s decision — while not unexpected — leaves a major hole for the Wildcats’ 2023-24 roster, which has been decimated by departures this offseason and currently stands at just seven confirmed scholarship players: five freshmen and two returning sophomores, neither of whom played key roles on last season’s team.

Meanwhile, the Cats haven’t managed to bring in any additional players from the transfer portal.

What’s next for Kentucky?

UK will be stacked with potential next season, but the loss of Livingston means one more possible returning player with considerable talent won’t be around.

That will obviously be one fewer Wildcat on the 2023-24 roster with a working knowledge of Calipari’s coaching style and Kentucky’s program, as well as a departure at a position where the Cats could still use some major help.

As it stands, UK’s group of scholarship players consists of three freshmen guards — DJ Wagner, Robert Dillingham and Reed Sheppard — plus wings Adou Thiero (sophomore) and Justin Edwards (freshman), along with post players Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso, a freshman and sophomore, respectively.

While UK should seemingly have enough firepower in the backcourt — though it will be largely unproven — there’s a clear need for players capable of playing major minutes in the frontcourt.

Edwards, a 6-7 recruit and projected lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is expected to play 30-plus minutes at the “3” spot, and he could play the “4” position — with four players stationed on the perimeter — but that configuration would bring some unique challenges, especially from a rebounding standpoint.

Livingston, a physical and athletic wing who plays bigger than his 6-6 height, seemed an ideal match for Edwards as a versatile “3-4” combination, and — barring extraordinary progress from Thiero — the Cats clearly have a need for someone who can play at a high level in one or both of those spots.

UK vigorously pursued San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson — a starting player on the Aztecs’ national runner-up squad this past season and a potential perfect fit at the “4” spot for the Cats in 2023-24 — but he committed to Arizona.

Calipari and his coaching staff have also reached out to a number of other transfer targets at those positions, but, so far, none have emerged as serious possibilities to join the roster in the near future. UK star Oscar Tshiebwe also announced Wednesday that he was staying in the draft, and the Cats are still waiting on a decision from fellow starter Antonio Reeves, who is withdrawing from the NBA Draft but has not yet confirmed a return to Kentucky.

Reeves, the Cats’ leading backcourt scorer, could still transfer to another school before the start of next season, though playing another year at UK is also possible. There is no firm timetable for his final decision.

There’s still time to fill out the 2023-24 roster — and abundant talent in the transfer portal for UK to pursue — but the program’s offseason calendar this year complicates matters.

The Wildcats are scheduled to represent USA Basketball at a four-team exhibition event in Canada starting July 12, which gives Calipari only a few weeks to find enough players to fill his roster — and give them some time to jell on the court — before that tournament begins.

The clock is ticking on Kentucky’s offseason, and the Cats just lost another important piece to their 2023-24 puzzle.

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