Joshua Primo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: G. Brown, Stewart, Mikhailovskii, Hollatz, More

May 13th, 2021 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Texas forward Greg Brown is going pro after a single college season, announcing on Instagram that he has decided to enter the 2021 NBA draft and has signed with BDA Sports for representation.

Brown put up relatively modest numbers as a freshman for the Longhorns in 2020/21, averaging 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in 26 games (20.6 MPG). However, his athleticism and his long-term upside make him an intriguing prospect — ESPN ranks him at No. 29 on its big board for 2021.

Here are several more draft-related notes and updates:

After initially testing the draft waters, Mississippi State sophomore wing D.J. Stewart has decided to hire an agent and remain in the draft, according to Paul Jones of Gene’s Page. Stewart comes in at No. 86 on ESPN’s top-100 list.
Russian wing Nikita Mikhailovskii, who sneaks onto ESPN’s big board at No. 94, is entering the draft, agent Arturs Kalnitis tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The 20-year-old averaged 8.5 PPG on .468/.418/.811 shooting in 24 games (18.3 MPG) for BC Avtodor this season.
German guard Justus Hollatz has also declared for the draft, according to agent Dragan Jankovski of BeoBasket (Twitter link). Hollatz currently plays for the Hamburg Towers in Germany.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report passes along some of the latest buzz he has heard on this year’s draft-eligible prospects, identifying Joshua Primo and JT Thor as potential risers on NBA teams’ boards.
Looking ahead to the 2022 NBA draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) provides his impressions of some of the top prospects who participated in the Iverson Classic over the weekend, including Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero.

Draft Notes: Juzang, Primo, Santos, Garrett

April 21st, 2021 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Breakout NCAA Tournament star Johnny Juzang has decided to test the draft waters, he revealed in a Twitter post. Juzang averaged 22.8 PPG in six tournament games to carry the 11th-seeded UCLA Bruins to the Final Four. The 6’7” Juzang will keep his options open by maintaining his college eligibility. He’s currently rated No. 50 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

We have more draft news:

Alabama freshman wing Joshua Primo, like Juzang, will explore his draft prospects while maintaining his college eligibility, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony relays. Primo, who also announced his decision on social media, was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team after averaging 8.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 22 MPG while shooting 38% from distance. He’ll stay in the draft if teams inform him that he’ll go in the first round, he told Givony. He’s ranked No. 38 by ESPN.
Brazilian forward Gui Santos has submitted the required paperwork to enter the draft, Givony writes in a separate story. The 6’8”, 18-year-old forward is averaging 8.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 1.7 APG while shooting 37% from deep for Brazil’s Minas Tenis Clube. He was not originally expected to enter this year’s draft but positive feedback from teams and the removal of NBA travel restrictions for scouting purposes convinced him to determine if he might get drafted.
Kansas’ Marcus Garrett has declared for the draft and will not use his extra year of eligibility, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. The point guard is ranked No. 86 by ESPN. He averaged 11.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 3.7 APG this past season.

Draft Notes: Maker, Primo, Toppin, Azubuike

February 20th, 2020 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Having ruled earlier this week that Makur Maker – the younger cousin of Thon Maker – is eligible to enter the 2020 draft, the NBA and NBPA reached a revised agreement on the draft eligibility of players in similar situations to Maker, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. Going forward, 19-year-old prospects who are still enrolled in high school won’t be eligible to enter the draft, clearing up an area of confusion for NBA teams.

As for Maker specifically, even though he’s now free to enter this year’s draft, there’s no guarantee he’ll do so. His guardian Ed Smith told ESPN that Maker will go pro if he’s projected to be a lottery pick. Givony currently has the young center ranked 77th overall on this year’s big board.

In an Insider-only ESPN.com article, Givony and Mike Schmitz evaluate which prospects had the biggest impact at last weekend’s Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Chicago. According to ESPN’s draft experts, Canadian guard Josh Primo “stole the show,” looking comfortable playing both on and off the ball. Primo, currently a high school junior, projects to be a first-rounder in 2021, says Givony.
John Hollinger of The Athletic identifies nine undervalued draft prospects that have piqued his interest, including Dayton forward Obi Toppin, Florida State forward Patrick Williams, and French guard Killian Hayes.
Elsewhere at The Athletic, Sam Vecenie makes the case for why Kansas big man Udoka Azubuike is the best center in the NCAA, while Mike Vorkunov takes a look at which prospects the Knicks should be targeting this spring, with some help from Spencer Pearlman of The Stepien.