Joshua Primo, projected first-round pick, opts to stay in NBA draft

[tidehigh]

per ESPN

Projected 1st-rounder Primo opts to stay in draft

Alabama's Joshua Primo, whose stock rose after a strong showing at this past week's combine, has opted to keep his name in the 2021 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Wednesday.

www.espn.com

 

[mbbama]

Damn

 

[vegas man]

I'm still not convinced Primo will be taken in the first round.

 

[pwestbro61]

I am sorry/ just do not see him as a first rounder either. I get the “ potential “ and all of the “ age value” stuff.
NBA has basically ruined college basketball. Just the truth.

 

[JimmyDog90]

These guys are trying to make a living. Support them.

 

[BAMAPG]

I wish him the best. Not sure he is ready for the NBA but a BB player has plenty of options if the NBA does not play out right away, The G League and overseas pay more than a player would make at BAMA in NIL.

 

[jd82tide]

Didn't see much consistency but flashes of great stuff last year. If he's gone I will cheer for him in the NBA. Really thought another year or two would help but what do I know, nobody is going to offer me millions of dollars because I can't shoot, jump, or defend! Good luck JP either way.

 

[pwestbro61]

He should be a true freshman in college.

 

[vegas man]

These guys are trying to make a living. Support them.

The money, much more of it and probably guaranteed, will be there after another season in college. Big risk by Primo. Not sure why some people always talk up overseas or the G league like they're an amazing consolation to the NBA.

 

[mr4bama]

I am sorry/ just do not see him as a first rounder either. I get the “ potential “ and all of the “ age value” stuff.
NBA has basically ruined college basketball. Just the truth.

i do like primo`s game and future but the nba is not what it used to be. the bucks and suns back in the day would have trouble getting out of the first round.

 

[Sheerperfection]

Wish Primo nothing but the utmost success!

 

[G.O.A.T-23]

I am sorry/ just do not see him as a first rounder either. I get the “ potential “ and all of the “ age value” stuff.
NBA has basically ruined college basketball. Just the truth.

Moronic take is moronic. It's not like the NBA was just founded, and it's not like they have just started drafting players from college. So why all of a sudden it has ruined CBB?

More importantly, is it the NBA’s job to make sure other people can get paid handsomely off these kids' talent?

I said after the season that I thought Primo would be a first-round pick if he went and worked out for teams this offseason. I was hoping he didn't even explore his option because I knew if he did he would be gone. Our basketball gurus on this board laughed at the notion, but here we are....

 

[G.O.A.T-23]

i do like primo`s game and future but the nba is not what it used to be. the bucks and suns back in the day would have trouble getting out of the first round.

What in the world does that have to do with anything? I'm a huge Bulls fan; at one point, the Bulls had trouble getting into the Playoffs. Then they got a guy who wore 23 and things changed.

Now they once again have problems getting into the Playoffs. The Lakers, Celtic, Spurs, Pistons have all had years struggling to win.

The league is has better overall talent now than it did during the 80s and 90s when I was a child watching.

 

[jd82tide]

Any chance he could still come back or his he now locked in? If he is a first round lock, wish him the best. I didn't see it last year at all. He disappeared for games at a time and then would come back and have a nice outing and then vanish again for awhile. Maybe the offense going through Petty and Herb limited touches but there will be a lot better players than that in the NBA. Really thought he was gonna be one of our top 2-3 scorers but if he can get paid, best of luck.

 

[pwestbro61]

Moronic take is moronic. It's not like the NBA was just founded, and it's not like they have just started drafting players from college. So why all of a sudden it has ruined CBB?

More importantly, is it the NBA’s job to make sure other people can get paid handsomely off these kids' talent?

I said after the season that I thought Primo would be a first-round pick if he went and worked out for teams this offseason. I was hoping he didn't even explore his option because I knew if he did he would be gone. Our basketball gurus on this board laughed at the notion, but here we are....

Moronic take? No one in the world considered Primo a first round pick. But you are the self professed “ expert” on the board. Would really be amazing if you were half as “ astute” as you appear to consider yourself.

 

[G.O.A.T-23]

Moronic take? No one in the world considered Primo a first round pick. But you are the self professed “ expert” on the board. Would really be amazing if you were half as “ astute” as you appear to consider yourself.

Your moronic take was the NBA is ruining CBB.

I never once professed myself an “expert” on anything. When it has come to the NFL or NBA Drafts, I will say I have been right a lot more than I have been wrong.

The difference between myself and some other posters who were quick to tell me how wrong I was about him potentially being a mid to late first round pick is that I actually watch a lot of NBA games.

 

[RTRfromGA]

Moronic take? No one in the world considered Primo a first round pick. But you are the self professed “ expert” on the board. Would really be amazing if you were half as “ astute” as you appear to consider yourself.

What makes you so confident that no one in the world considers primo a first round pick?

 

[mtmax]

Primo was projected 17 in this latest draft projection.

2022 NBA Draft Prospect - Position Rankings

Get the latest NBA Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Find out where your favorite Position stacks up against the 2022 class and view expert mock drafts.

www.cbssports.com

 

[Bamalumni]

Probably a bad decision by Primo, but I’ll hope for the best for him.

 

[winin11]

None of us know about Josh Primo's financial needs. He truly may need the money, I think he will get some nice deal, and yes, in the first round. For my selfish side, I want him to give us one more year.
I also read about how he has elevated his game and had a fantastic combine. We all should wish him the best.

 

[Bamalumni]

Probably a bad decision by Primo, but I’ll hope for the best for him.

maybe I’m wrong. I was basing my comment on his play last season, which was good, but not at an NBA level, in my opinion. I didn’t know that he had such a great performance at the combine. It’s still kind of crazy to think that NBA teams would value a combine performance over a seasons worth of tape.

 

[michael1965]

Primo played the season as an 18 year old who should still be in high school. He had some really good games for us but also made some freshmen mistakes. He developed well, culminating in a notable combine performance. Would have loved to have both him and Shack back!

 

[EugDan]

I would have loved if Primo had returned to Bama but good luck to him on his journey. Why is Primo a first round pick?

Negatives
-Primo played several games as a 17 year old kid
-Primo had a freshman slump midway through the SEC schedule
-Primo didn't really blow anyone away during his freshman year
-Primo skipped his HS senior year

Positives
-A 17 1/2 year old kid began and spent a year in the Bama Strength & Conditioning program that developed him into a better & stronger BB player
-NBA scouts talked to CNO who told them that he had not allowed Primo to fully showcase his skill set: a BIG plus as NBA Teams saw Primo as coachable and team oriented
-Primo continued to hone his skills and improved after the Bama BB season
-NBA Teams are signing HS kids to hefty G-League $$ in hopes they pan out, while Primo is the same age BUT NOW has a year under his belt in an intense Bama program and a Grown Man SEC League/Schedule, thus in their eyes Primo may have greater value as he played college because he skipped his senior HS year
-Primo showcased his skills during the combine and wowed teams during individual workouts

 

[G.O.A.T-23]

I would have loved if Primo had returned to Bama but good luck to him on his journey. Why is Primo a first round pick?

Negatives
-Primo played several games as a 17 year old kid
-Primo had a freshman slump midway through the SEC schedule
-Primo didn't really blow anyone away during his freshman year
-Primo skipped his HS senior year

Positives
-A 17 1/2 year old kid began and spent a year in the Bama Strength & Conditioning program that developed him into a better & stronger BB player
-NBA scouts talked to CNO who told them that he had not allowed Primo to fully showcase his skill set: a BIG plus as NBA Teams saw Primo as coachable and team oriented
-Primo continued to hone his skills and improved after the Bama BB season
-NBA Teams are signing HS kids to hefty G-League $$ in hopes they pan out, while Primo is the same age BUT NOW has a year under his belt in an intense Bama program and a Grown Man SEC League/Schedule, thus in their eyes Primo may have greater value as he played college because he skipped his senior HS year
-Primo showcased his skills during the combine and wowed teams during individual workouts

View embedded media

The kid will be a pretty good NBA player, he looks like he has a great midrange game that some of the best in the NBA thrive on. We didn't get to see that much at Bama...

 

[RTRfromGA]

The kid will be a pretty good NBA player, he looks like he has a great midrange game that some of the best in the NBA thrive on. We didn't get to see that much at Bama...

The nba is moving away from the mid range game too

 

[G.O.A.T-23]

The nba is moving away from the mid range game too

Do the NBA shoot more 3s now than in the 90s and early 2000s, yes. But even GS during their championship runs lead the league in midrange shots made. Curry and Thompson are great at pulling up midrange when you crowd the 3pt line on them. KD is a master at it and if you watch the NBA Finals Sunday, you will see CP3 and Booker taking a fair number of them.

The best teams in the league still shoot the midrange shot, same for the best players, albeit not at the same rate as before. What sucks is that there are teams out there that don't shoot the midrange much at all and those teams are normally closer to the bottom than the top.

Zach LaVine for the Bulls was pissed at their analytic department asked him not to shoot the midrange a couple years ago. KD was on his side in this debate. Both are among the best and most efficient scorers in the NBA. They view it as a war between the jocks and nerds crunching numbers. A true scorer can put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court and is willing to take the open shot.

 

[RTRfromGA]

Do the NBA shoot more 3s now than in the 90s and early 2000s, yes. But even GS during their championship runs lead the league in midrange shots made. Curry and Thompson are great at pulling up midrange when you crowd the 3pt line on them. KD is a master at it and if you watch the NBA Finals Sunday, you will see CP3 and Booker taking a fair number of them.

The best teams in the league still shoot the midrange shot, same for the best players, albeit not at the same rate as before. What sucks is that there are teams out there that don't shoot the midrange much at all and those teams are normally closer to the bottom than the top.

Zach LaVine for the Bulls was pissed at their analytic department asked him not to shoot the midrange a couple years ago. KD was on his side in this debate. Both are among the best and most efficient scorers in the NBA. They view it as a war between the jocks and nerds crunching numbers. A true scorer can put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court and is willing to take the open shot.

Take a look at NBA shot charts and you'll notice nearly all the shots are in the lane or behind the 3 point line

 

[G.O.A.T-23]

Take a look at NBA shot charts and you'll notice nearly all the shots are in the lane or behind the 3 point line

Those numbers are skewed by bad teams taking a lot of 3s to stay in the game. When you have Steph, Clay, and KD, three of the best shooters the game has ever seen, and you don't lead the league in 3pts taken, that should tell you something. Instead, teams like the Nets (before they got their big 3), the Hawks (before Trae), the Heat, the Bulls, the Hornets, the Pistons are all up there in the top 10, taking as many if not more than a team with the greatest 3pt backcourt ever. The analytic departments, aka the nerds, are the ones ruining the game.

With the exception of a few like Dame, the best scores in the NBA all take and make the midrange. They are all 3-level scores which are all I was saying about Primo taking and making the midrange shot in his video. Imagine the games many ITT talk about where he didn't show up or had the freshman slump. If he would have just stepped in and made a few of those shots to get him going. How differently would fans on this board view his season? Being able to score at all levels makes you a more efficient scorer because you are harder to guard.

Go back and watch game 7 in the WCF between the Warriors and the Rockets a few years ago when the Rockets lost at home, missing like 100 3pt'ers. They passed wide-open midrange shots for contested 3s that they missed over and over again. Meanwhile, the Warriors took those midrange shots and made them, then they cut your heart out with the 3.

 

[RTRfromGA]

Those numbers are skewed by bad teams taking a lot of 3s to stay in the game. When you have Steph, Clay, and KD, three of the best shooters the game has ever seen, and you don't lead the league in 3pts taken, that should tell you something. Instead, teams like the Nets (before they got their big 3), the Hawks (before Trae), the Heat, the Bulls, the Hornets, the Pistons are all up there in the top 10, taking as many if not more than a team with the greatest 3pt backcourt ever. The analytic departments, aka the nerds, are the ones ruining the game.

With the exception of a few like Dame, the best scores in the NBA all take and make the midrange. They are all 3-level scores which are all I was saying about Primo taking and making the midrange shot in his video. Imagine the games many ITT talk about where he didn't show up or had the freshman slump. If he would have just stepped in and made a few of those shots to get him going. How differently would fans on this board view his season? Being able to score at all levels makes you a more efficient scorer because you are harder to guard.

Go back and watch game 7 in the WCF between the Warriors and the Rockets a few years ago when the Rockets lost at home, missing like 100 3pt'ers. They passed wide-open midrange shots for contested 3s that they missed over and over again. Meanwhile, the Warriors took those midrange shots and made them, then they cut your heart out with the 3.

But like I said, NBA teams are moving towards taking all their shots in the lane or from behind the line. They're not all like that 100%, but that's the direction they've been trending.