Josh Primo made his first start for San Antonio in early January 2022 against Philadelphia, making him the youngest starter in Spurs history.
In the offseason draft, the Spurs unexpectedly selected Young Guard Josh Primo from the University of Alabama with a 12th pick in the first round. This choice is incomprehensible to many fans, after all, Primo has not even made the top 20 in many previous predictions.
So far this season, Primo has played 32 games, four of which are starters, averaging 15.7 minutes per game. Spurs first-year rookies usually have a bus card to and from San Antonio and Austin, and Primo is no exception, as Primo often travels to Austin to play after the development league, where he has more balls and exercise opportunities.
However, unlike his predecessors Murray, Xiaobai, KJ and others, in this Spurs team today, Primo entered the team's rotation lineup early, and after being promoted to the first team, Primo did not have to play like The Wiscamp, only with a huge point difference, he already had his own place in the team's main rotation lineup. When he was on the Spurs, he mainly played the No. 2 and No. 3 positions of the bench, and although his performance on the court was not very impressive, there were often eye-catching places.
In nearly 16 minutes of playing time this season, the young Josh Primo can average 4.8 points and 1.4 assists per game, while also shooting 0.8 three-pointers per game with a 32.5% shooting rate. If you look at this data alone, it cannot be said to be unremarkable, but it can only be said that it is not satisfactory. But for the first-year rookies, especially the Spurs' rookie players in recent years, they are often in a stage of adapting to professional games in the first year and gradually polishing themselves.
Among the Spurs players, whether it was Murray, Little White, KJ, or Walker, they didn't get any eye-catching statistics in the first year. Even Vassell's first year of rotation in the first season is not impressive, but after one or two years of training, they all rise to the top of their rookie contracts in one or two years to become qualified and even good NBA players.
In Spurs games, Primo has often played as a substitute lately, and his role on the court is generally as an empty 3-pointer or as a transition to the ball in positional warfare. Although he is only playing in the NBA for the first time, he has a mature style of playing on the court that is beyond his age. As a young player, you hardly see Primo on the pitch, he always plays the right way, and in my opinion, that maturity is far more important than simple physical talent. Flying physical talent can help you get into the NBA, but only the right way to play will get you further here.
Of course, there are still many deficiencies in Primo today. He's not too efficient on the court, and it will take some time to adjust to the intensity of the NBA's game and the length of the season. On the court, Primo has a clever moment, playing a beautiful attack, but also there will be ridiculous low-level mistakes on the field. But overall, Primo gave us a lot of surprises.
As the youngest player of the year, Primo still has a lot of time to grow, this season he still needs to train in Austin, next season he will most likely become the team's main rotation player, that is the first step of his NBA season.
Youth represents hope and an undefinable future. But we always believe that a humble and self-motivated, down-to-earth young man will not be disappointed by basketball.
Let's look forward to the future of Primo and the future of the team.