The San Antonio Spurs' baby-faced golden boy isn't looking so child-like anymore.
A year before they seemingly nailed the 2022 NBA Draft according to several media outlets, the Spurs stunned many by taking Josh Primo much earlier than experts expected in 2021. Since then, the 18-year-old has had plenty of flashes indicating he can be a standout all-around player in the near future.
As a rookie and the youngest player in the league last season, Primo still managed to appear in 50 games for Gregg Popovich, who famously hasn't played rookies very much in the past. Of those 50, he started 16 times, including the final 12 games of the regular season.
With a couple of key Spurs now gone, Primo will have an even bigger role this season, and it appears from his summer workouts that he's taking that challenge head-on. On Monday, a photo of Primo with his girlfriend started making the rounds on Twitter. As you can see, Josh has been hitting the weight room hard.
Saw somebody respond to this pic saying, “that’s not Josh Primo, that’s Josh Tio”
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) August 30, 2022
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/2BS95caL8g
Now 19 years old, Primo is listed as 6-6 and 190 pounds on Basketball-Reference currently, but I have a feeling both of those numbers may be changing. A day later, the Spurs' official Twitter shared a clip of the young guard putting in work at the gym.
Year 2 loading ⏳ pic.twitter.com/MCuTQM5tDD
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 30, 2022
Twitter reacts to Josh Primo's huge gains
As usual, Twitter was quick to chime in with their quips and observations on Primo's huge transformation.
No that’s Optimus Primo pic.twitter.com/R6VAXu518O
— PJ Hoops (@RealPjHoops) August 30, 2022
Primo showing up to camp this year: https://t.co/g2DwQjdI65 pic.twitter.com/QYoiys5AYN
— Project Spurs (@projectspurs) August 30, 2022
— Spinosa Knowsa (@rene_los) August 30, 2022
(Of course, I had to get my joke out there as well.)
Josh Primo every day this summer https://t.co/a2gsT6VfzI pic.twitter.com/ZWVe5c77Ru
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) August 30, 2022
All jokes aside, many Spurs fans were excited to see how much work Primo has been putting in, and his added muscle should help him on both ends of the court right away.
He bulked up. That will serve him well as he’s pushing past people to get to the basket
— Czarlo (@czar82) August 30, 2022
Joshua has been in the gym workin.
— Eric Salinas (@EricSal_7) August 30, 2022
Excited about this rebuilding season. https://t.co/P9oOBdcQbj
When the Spurs tip off their preseason in a little over a month, fans and opponents alike may be surprised by what they see on the court sporting number 11.