#3 Joshua Primo – Guard – Alabama
Joshua Primo is the youngest player in this year’s draft class and is a guy whose draft stock keeps going up and up. Early on in the draft process, there were a lot of unknowns about Primo and people questioned if he would be drafted in the first-round, but now, he has cemented himself as one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft.
He may not be the best shooter at the shooting guard position in this draft class, but Josh Primo is extremely aggressive and is always looking to score the ball. Having that mindset of “I am going to score no matter who is covering me” is something you cannot teach and Primo has this already at 18-years-old.
At the NBA Draft Combine, Primo really put scouts and executives on notice not just because of his measurements, measuring in at 6’5” with a wingspan of 6’9.25”, but because of how well he played in the 5-on-5 scrimmages.
Josh Primo only played in one scrimmage at the combine, but in this game, he scored 7 points on 3-8 shooting from the floor and had 6 rebounds as well. Scouts were very impressed with his ability to attack the basket and create opportunities for others as well, something he had not really shown much of in his game prior.
With the NBA Draft about a month away, Primo finds himself as this year’s “unknown guy” that could go anywhere in the first-round really. Teams like the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs in the lottery portion of the draft have been checking him out, as well as teams with late first-round picks.
READ MORE: 2021 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Who improved their stock most during the combine?
The Pacers need a “spark” in their rotations that they can depend on to make plays offensively, which is why Joshua Primo could be a nice fit for them at the shooting guard position. He is always looking to attack on offense and could develop into a nice secondary facilitator, which is what Indiana would need him to be.
With guys like Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren and Malcolm Brogdon as primary ball-handlers and scorers, Primo would excel being a guy who can not just play off of these guys, but create space and opportunities for them to score as well.
Some may say taking Joshua Primo 13th overall would be a stretch, but he contains a ton of upside as a young, athletic prospect. In time, he could absolutely become a starting rotation type of player that can contribute in many different ways on offense.
