Alabama Guard Josh Primo's NBA Draft Stock on the Rise

Could the Crimson Tide produce another first-round draft pick for the second year in a row?

Alabama basketball's 2021-2022 roster is still in flux with two players testing the 2021 NBA draft waters in guards Jaden Shackelford and Josh Primo and four newcomers stepping foot on campus in the coming months by way of the nation's fifth best recruiting class. 

However, clarity might be coming soon to Primo's status.

The native Canadian was projected to be selected 25th overall to the Denver Nuggets in Bleacher Report's lead NBA scout Jonathan Wasserman's latest mock draft following the conclusion of the NBA's regular season.

"Buzz is starting to build about a potential pre-draft rise for Primo, who may offer more creation and scoring skills that were hidden behind Alabama's older guards," Wasserman wrote. "The Nuggets could take an upside gamble on the class' youngest prospect with 6'6" size, a convincing shooting stroke (38.1 percent 3PT) and possible untapped potential as a ball-handler and shot-maker."

Primo has signed with an NCAA-certified agent, while Shackelford has not so both could ultimately return. 

In his only season in a Crimson Tide uniform, Primo averaged 8.1 points on 43 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from three-point range and 3.4 rebounds. He made 30 appearances while starting 19 games. 

The deadline for Primo and Shackelford to withdraw their names from the draft is July 19. The event is slated for July 29 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Former Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans back in November.

"To me, it probably makes sense to test the waters, get some feedback, and I don’t think it’s the worst thing either," Alabama coach Nate Oats told the media last month. "I want guys that wanna be in the NBA. If you wanna be in the NBA, let’s get feedback from NBA people.

“If a guy’s got a guaranteed first-round contract, he probably needs to go. We’re here to make our players better, we’re here to make their future better. If you’ve got that type of guaranteed money, I’m not gonna convince you to come back if it’s not the best decision for you, your family, your future, your career. They’ve gotta get feedback like that on that stuff. I would expect there to be a few that would test it to see what they’ve got. But at the end of the day, if they don’t have a guaranteed first-round contract, most of the time it makes sense to come back and try to play your way up into it.”