Rookies Primo, Wieskamp making seamless transition to the big club
MEMPHIS — Spurs guard Derrick White hadn’t really noticed that rookies Josh Primo and Joe Wieskamp had made the trip to Memphis until Friday morning at shootaround.
“I need to have them start carrying my bags or something — put them to use,” White said.
The Spurs are on an 11-day road trip that will include seven games and began with Friday night’s contest against the Grizzlies.
Primo and Wieskamp have been with the Spurs since the club called them up from their G League affiliate in Austin on Sunday before a 144-109 win over Detroit.
That the two youngsters have have blended in so well is a testament to their low-key, professional approach, White said.
“We got some great rookies,” he said. “Primo is 19, but he’s pretty professional for 19. And Joe comes in and does what he needs to do. It’s good to have them.”
The Spurs selected Primo, who was a freshman at Alabama last season, 12th overall in the 2021 NBA draft. They took Wieskamp, who left Iowa after his junior season, in the second round.
While Wieskamp has played sparingly for the Spurs, Primo has flashed his talent on several occasions. What separates him from some other rookies is that he lets the game come to him rather than forcing things in a bid to impress his teammates and coaches.
“That speaks volumes as to who he is as a person,” Spurs guard Tre Jones said. “He is not a selfish guy. He wants to see everyone else succeed, too. He is extremely young, and he is learning a lot of things. He is always excited to (learn) and always ready when his name is called.”
Spurs guard Devin Vassell said he sees Primo’s confidence growing daily.
“Every day he comes in and he puts in the work,” said Vassell, drafted 11th overall by the Spurs in 2020. “Being a rookie, it’s tough. Especially is a situation where you are up and down and up and down in the G League. I tell him to stay confident, stay ready and stay prepared.”
Johnson still tops in 3-point shooting
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson continues to lead the league in 3-point percentage.
Johnson entered Friday’s game converting 47.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Boston’s Grant Williams and Brooklyn’s Joe Harris, who is out for four to eight weeks after undergoing ankle surgery in late November, are tied for second at 46.6 percent.
Miami’s P.J. Tucker (45.5 percent) and Houston’s Eric Gordon (45.1 percent) round out the top five.
“Keldon is shooting it amazing right now,” White said. “Confident. He worked hard in the offseason and stayed confident when he didn’t start off great. But every time he shoots it, I expect it to go in. That’s the type of work he put in, and it’s paying off.”
Postponement gave Walker time to heal
The Spurs upgraded guard Lonnie Walker from questionable to probable Friday afternoon before facing the Grizzlies.
Walker had been listed as doubtful with a bruised right knee for the Spurs’s scheduled game with Miami on Wednesday, but he had more time to heal after the league postponed the game because the Heat didn’t have the required eight players.