Crossing the street is big deal to Livingston
Denzel Livingston once sweated on the Root Memorial Square Park court across the street from Toyota Center and imagined himself on the clean, well-lit hardwood inside. He peeked through the cracks in the practice curtain, hoping to get a glimpse at the NBA, which was so close but, in every other way to a 138-pound teenager, so far away.
For every dreamer on those pickup-game courts, every hopeful and wannabe working to catch a coach’s eye and land a chance, Livingston on Tuesday served as a reason for hope, having come so far just by crossing the street.
Months after Livingston averaged 21.7 points per game for Incarnate Word in San Antonio, he began workouts with the Rockets’ summer league team, hoping to play his way onto an NBA roster. For now, he is thrilled just to be on the indoor court on LaBranch, playing under the banners of Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and a pair of championships won when Livingston was a baby a few miles away.
“It’s a blessing,” Livingston said. “I used to come down here Sundays and play across the street with a lot of friends. It’s always a dream to play for your hometown team.”
Livingston, 22, had pre-draft
workouts with many teams, including the Rockets, but was not selected last month. When the Rockets called about a place on their summer league team, he did not have to think twice.
“It was just unbelievable,” Livingston said. “Everything felt like a dream. I never thought about getting a call from the Rockets. It’s just beautiful right now.”
Under the radar
Livingston grew up in Houston’s Studewood neighborhood and played at Waltrip High School, where he was the city’s leading scorer as a senior. He was lightly recruited and planned to play at a junior college before being spotted in an All-Star game and offered a scholarship. Incarnate Word moved to Division I for the 2013-14 campaign, and last season Livingston was a first-team All-Southland Conference selection.
“I’m putting my school on the map,” Livingston said. “Nobody knows about Incarnate Word. It’s a good feeling to be the first person from a basketball team to come to an NBA summer league.
“I’m basically like an underdog here. People don’t really know who I am. I like to keep proving people wrong. I have a chip on my shoulder to show people what I can really do.”
He has been quick to impress. A 6-4, 180-pound shooting guard, Livingston has displayed not just his ability to score but his feel for getting his shot.
“This is the first time that I’d seen him,” Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He can make shots. He’s a skilled player. He’s crafty. He knows how to get to his spot. He knows how to get his shot off. He can get up and down. He’s a good system fit for us.”
Livingston hopes to be more than that. The Rockets’ summer league roster is crowded with wing players, including former Rio Grande Valley star Glen Rice Jr. Many are far more experienced. But Livingston knows playing time comes with doing more than scoring.
Good defender, too
“I score the ball real, real (well) in my eyes and in other people’s eyes, too,” Livingston said. “But I want to show everybody else I can score the ball. I also play defense. I was seventh in the nation in steals (averaging 2.5 per game). A lot of people don’t know about that. I feel like my defense will be there. My defense — you can always improve your defense. My offense —I’m good at it. I can work on my ballhandling a little more.”
As he spoke, a handful of players put up shots on the court across the street. The more competitive games are at night and especially on Sundays. By then, however, Livingston will be in Las Vegas, hoping to hear Bickerstaff call his name so he can do on a larger stage what he always did in those pickup games.
He has come quite a long way.
“People I haven’t heard from in years have been texting me,” Livingston said. “They’re just trying to be back with me because I’m kind of popular now.”