Josh Primo shows his potential in Spurs Summer League loss to Nets

After missing a few games with calf tightness, first round draft pick Josh Primo returned to the court in Las Vegas for the San Antonio Spurs’ penultimate Summer League game against the Brooklyn Nets and led the way with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 104-100 loss. While his numbers weren’t the most efficient — 8-22 shooting overall and 3-11 from three — he continued to show off his potential to be something special with his nifty skill set and flashy offensive game.

Even at just 18 years old, possibly no other Spur on the current roster has shown the range of shot-making ability Primo did in just this game alone, let alone his extremely short NBA career so far. The floater from the free throw line, pull-up threes, driving and finishing through traffic, the shake-and-bake to throw off his defender, and even some nifty passing and defense in transition — all of this represents a player who could be something special given some time and the proper development program, and who better than the Spurs to make that happen?

Even one of the greatest Spurs of all time, the Admiral David Robinson, who has been in attendance throughout Summer League, sees the potential.

Some fans may remain apprehensive of what seemed like an unprecedented reach with the 12th overall pick, and while it may be unconventional to go for potential above all else in the lottery, it’s becoming clear what the Spurs saw in Primo to break precedent and grab him well earlier than projected (even after they reportedly tried and failed to trade back). It’s going to take time, but fans should be even more pumped up than usual about the upcoming G-League season to see what he’s all about and how far he comes along in Year 1.

Of course, not to be outdone, Tre Jones continued to shine in Summer League and show he could win the open back-up point guard slot for the Spurs. While he took a bit of a backseat to Primo after his 34-point outing against the Hornets, he still delivered an efficient 18 points on 7-14 shooting (1-2 from three) with 5 assists and 4 rebounds, while DaQuan Jeffries, Nate Renfro, and Jalen Morris rounded all scored between 12 and 15 points. Spurs second round pick Joe Wieskamp continued to struggle connecting from outside (9 points, 1-4 from three), but his one make did come from an assist from Primo.

The Spurs’ final SL game will take place today at 4:00 PM CT against the Oklahoma City Thunder on NBA TV. After that, training camp is just around the corner, beginning on September 28.