SAN ANTONIO — Whether it is with the G League's Austin Spurs or in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, rookie Joshua Primo is making a good impression on the court.
With San Antonio, he's shown he is willing to take the big shot when he drilled a three-pointer against the Nets on the road to force overtime.
He also had an impressive outing against the Suns on Jan. 29 with 13 points, three rebounds, and two blocks in 28 minutes.
With Austin, he demonstrated poise in the team's win over the Skyforce. He was saddled with foul trouble for three periods only to erupt in the fourth to score 14 points in eight minutes including a perfect 4-4 from the three-point line.
Primo's outlook is very promising but for all rookies, there is learning to do. He'll likely see more time in the G League to adapt to the NBA's physicality and hone his skill set.
"The time in the G-League has been great for him," said coach Gregg Popovich. "He’s the youngest guy in the league, so he needs to understand that physicality. It’s a good training ground because there are guys who have been there for a while, and those guys are very, very hungry."
In this quick Q&A from December, we chat with Primo about another aspect of his game he is developing: Primary ball handler.
Jeff: How are things going with Austin? Overall, what are you learning during your time in the G League?
Josh: I think it's working really well. I think I'm learning to find my spots, learning how to get guys involved where they're most effective, and trying to get them in the best position to score the ball and get them going offensively.
And then I think it just starts on defense for me, as well. If I come out with some energy, it helps the other guys on the offensive end as well as the defensive end.
You mentioned you are learning to get your teammates involved and finding them. Is that something you are working on: Facilitating and becoming a primary distributor?
Yes and no.
In Alabama, I had a smaller role where I decided to take a step back. We had a lot of ball handlers on the team. They had the ball in their hands and they wanted to score.
So I decided that I wanted to play off the ball and that's what worked for our team.
And this team [Austin] is a little bit different and I'm ready for that. That's something that I've worked on my whole life, I can do both, so that's how I play it.
Now that you are thrown into a primary ball-handler role, how is it coming along? Are you picking it up quick?
I'm learning to be the primary ball-handler. It's probably the first time I've been in this situation where I'm the number one ball-handler on the court.
So I'm learning to deal with that and I think it's coming.
Offensively, I think the assist to turnover ratio isn't good right now, but I think I'm working on it.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5