1
00:00:02,879 --> 00:00:06,519
Krack Lack and Hardwoo Knox listeners.
I am Damn Valley coming out you with

2
00:00:06,599 --> 00:00:11,080
out my fantabulous co host today.
Rest assured, though I am not alone

3
00:00:11,599 --> 00:00:15,599
today, I will be joined by
MBA agent Todd Ramasars. This is a

4
00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:21,160
second appearance on the Hardwoo Knox podcast. He is the president and founder of

5
00:00:21,199 --> 00:00:26,760
the Life Sport Agency. He represents
players like Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors,

6
00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,359
Kavan Luney of the Golden State Warriors, Thomas Bryant of Washington Wizards,

7
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:35,960
other players, and specifically the player
we're going to discuss very in depth today,

8
00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:41,679
Josh Primo, who is the youngest
player coming out of the twenty twenty

9
00:00:41,679 --> 00:00:46,799
one NBA draft, does not turn
nineteen. Does not turn nineteen until Christmas

10
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,280
Eve two and twenty one. That
is absolutely wild. He was initially coming

11
00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,479
out of Alabama projected to be a
second round prospect. He ended up going

12
00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:02,359
to the San Antonio Spurs at number
twelve inside the lottery. Folks thought it

13
00:01:02,399 --> 00:01:07,439
would be a good time to bring
Todd on to discuss just how the hell

14
00:01:07,519 --> 00:01:11,879
that happened, So I picked his
brain about the three draft process for Josh,

15
00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,159
what he saw on Josh specifically when
he sort of found them, the

16
00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,760
work that went in the behind the
scenes to go to that, the feedback

17
00:01:18,799 --> 00:01:22,879
that they were getting from teams.
It was a fascinating conversation for anyone that

18
00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,359
really cares about how this stuff unfolds. We might have more on this later

19
00:01:26,439 --> 00:01:30,799
on to sort of keese something I'm
not sure if we will that goes a

20
00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,400
little bit more in depth, but
this was a great forty minute or so

21
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,319
conversation. I highly suggest that you
listen to it. I will timestamp this

22
00:01:38,359 --> 00:01:42,519
as always in the bio with the
different topics that we roll through. But

23
00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,120
yeah, as always, please remember
a great review and subscribe to Hardwooknox wherever

24
00:01:47,159 --> 00:01:52,040
you're getting your podcast, because we
are anywhere and everywhere. iTunes does help

25
00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:53,760
us out the most, though,
so whether or not use it, head

26
00:01:53,799 --> 00:01:57,159
over there, search Hardwood Knox,
throw us that fire, start rating wright

27
00:01:57,239 --> 00:02:00,319
or review, help us choose those
numbers up, folks. I cannot stress

28
00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:06,519
or ask that or beg for that
enough. Follow us on YouTube as well,

29
00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,879
where there will be certain exclusives and
also just clips from our podcast that

30
00:02:09,879 --> 00:02:15,280
you can digest in snackable form.
YouTube dot com start Hardwoo Knox, we

31
00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,199
come up. We are on Instagram
at Hardwood Underscore Knox. We're on Twitter

32
00:02:19,439 --> 00:02:22,919
at Hardwood Knox, but like it
sounds, we're also on TikTok for some

33
00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:27,039
reason at Hardwood Knox, So please
follow us on all those mediums. We

34
00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,159
appreciate every single one of you listeners. But now let's get to this conversation

35
00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:35,199
I had with MBA agent and founder
and president of the Life Sport Agency,

36
00:02:35,759 --> 00:02:39,879
Todd Ramassar. Todd, thank you
so much for coming back on the Hardwood

37
00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:45,240
Knox podcast. I know you're coming
to us live from a car in Vegas.

38
00:02:45,319 --> 00:02:47,240
How are you doing? Are you
able to stay cool in said car?

39
00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:52,680
Amid that Vegas heat? You know, thank God for ten and thank

40
00:02:52,719 --> 00:02:55,639
God for AC. I got a
good AC in my car. So it's

41
00:02:55,680 --> 00:03:00,759
still early over here. If it
was at noon or after, dad,

42
00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,360
I don't know if I'll still be
able to say that even with air conditioning.

43
00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,120
Uh, you've got to be like
one of the very few people like

44
00:03:07,439 --> 00:03:12,120
there for Summer League that we're up
so early, because having known the inner

45
00:03:12,159 --> 00:03:15,719
workings of Summer League, it's very
that stuff goes late out there. So

46
00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,039
are you getting any more than two
or three hours of sleep per night while

47
00:03:19,039 --> 00:03:23,319
you're while you're in town for that, you know, maybe I'd say probably

48
00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,919
about four four hours of sleep.
But it's good. There's a you know

49
00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:30,680
what though, it's uh, you
know, with the pandemic and us back

50
00:03:30,719 --> 00:03:36,520
at summer League. There's a little
bit different energy this time around because it's

51
00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,080
good to see some you know,
familiar faces that I haven't seen in UH

52
00:03:40,439 --> 00:03:45,439
in probably two years or a year
and a half. So it's just great

53
00:03:45,479 --> 00:03:50,240
to be back in the gym and
steam fans and and just some normalcy of

54
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:55,039
summer off season. So the primary
reason UH You're on is to talk about

55
00:03:55,199 --> 00:04:00,919
Josh Primo now of the San Antonio
Spurs, drafted number twelve overall, I

56
00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,319
think even for people who followed the
draft process very intimately and saw all the

57
00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:08,680
positive reviews that were coming out of
the combine, I think a lot of

58
00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,120
people were surprised to see him go
so high, and so I have many

59
00:04:12,199 --> 00:04:15,240
questions just about him in that process. But I first wanted to know is

60
00:04:15,319 --> 00:04:19,279
just how did you first come in
touch with Josh? Had you seen him

61
00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:23,800
play when he was with you know, under nineteen and Canada? What was

62
00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:29,279
it about him that Drew drew you
to him specifically or your or your team

63
00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:34,319
to him specifically. Yeah. I
actually first saw Josh coincidentally at Basketball Without

64
00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:41,560
Borders in Chicago during All Star weekend
and and what was that two thousand in

65
00:04:41,759 --> 00:04:46,839
twenty, right before the pandemic Pascal
was named an All Star. He was

66
00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:53,839
there visiting also being a I guess
you could say alumni of BWB. So

67
00:04:53,879 --> 00:04:58,120
that was the first time, and
Josh had a great showing there. But

68
00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:04,240
I actually I actually now have a
strong presence as an agency there in Canada.

69
00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:11,720
I brought I brought on a staff
member from Canada who's great, and

70
00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:17,000
beyond Josh, it's like we're representing
several Canadian players, Eugeno Marui out of

71
00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:23,000
Oregon that's now with the Dallas Mavericks
on a two way contract, and also

72
00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:29,600
Marcus Carr, who actually went back
to school and transferred to University of Texas.

73
00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:33,680
So getting back to Josh, it
was just you know, seeing that

74
00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:40,000
he was so young checking into Alabama
at seventeen, and you saw his poise

75
00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:45,800
as an eighteen year old. And
then of course after we started conversations with

76
00:05:45,959 --> 00:05:53,079
his family, they really bought into
what I was proposing in terms of player

77
00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:57,759
development, training, having not just
a plan for the pre draft process,

78
00:05:58,199 --> 00:06:01,839
but also having a plan for his
career. And then of course once he

79
00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:05,959
committed, he signed, and then
we saw we had him in our gym

80
00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,920
and I put some NBA coaches around
him. That's where you could really see

81
00:06:12,079 --> 00:06:17,000
how talented he is and also how
talented he's going to be in terms of

82
00:06:17,879 --> 00:06:25,120
just his overall development as he continues
to progress in his career. And you

83
00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,920
had set me a note about this, but just for our listeners, what

84
00:06:28,959 --> 00:06:31,399
went into like the process of getting
him ready for the draft. You mentioned,

85
00:06:31,399 --> 00:06:33,800
you know, like you brought an
NBA coaches. I think you even

86
00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:38,199
sent me note saying you brought in
like people with NBA refereeing experience. So

87
00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,680
can you give us a little bit
of offsight into what that was Like?

88
00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:44,439
Yeah, you know, it's for
Josh and all my clients. I'm a

89
00:06:44,439 --> 00:06:47,120
big believer, and you know,
you know, for these young men that

90
00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,439
are are are are actually making that
transition to the NBA. It's like always

91
00:06:51,959 --> 00:06:58,519
for me and our stat and the
staff is like really pushing the envelope because

92
00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,920
everyone has a unique skill set.
Uh and not just on the court,

93
00:07:01,959 --> 00:07:06,240
but a unique personality and their needs
may be different. So for for for

94
00:07:06,319 --> 00:07:11,279
Josh in particular and all the clients, it was not just putting one NBA

95
00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,639
coach around them and say John Lucas
the third you know who's played in the

96
00:07:15,759 --> 00:07:20,680
NBA, was an assistant coach in
Minnesota Timberwolves under Top Thibodeau for three years

97
00:07:20,959 --> 00:07:27,399
and second generation co NBA coach.
It was also adding you know, a

98
00:07:27,439 --> 00:07:31,120
longtime friend of mine and former teammate
at UCLA, Earl Watson's a thirteen year

99
00:07:31,199 --> 00:07:36,199
NBA vet, you know, former
head coach of the Phoenix Suns, and

100
00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:42,759
even David Gale or Jared Cook,
like really bringing these basketball purists that are

101
00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,959
teachers that are around the kind of
just really push the envelope on all these

102
00:07:46,959 --> 00:07:51,600
players to you know, kind of
help them in terms of understanding the game

103
00:07:51,639 --> 00:07:56,879
from a cerebral standpoint on the NBA
level, but also just help with their

104
00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:01,879
overall development in terms of that transition
into the NBA. Because I'm a big

105
00:08:01,879 --> 00:08:07,160
believer that you know, if I'm
a big believer not getting trainers around my

106
00:08:07,279 --> 00:08:11,079
coach and my players, but coaches
and not just coaches, but NBA coaches

107
00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:16,480
and those types of coaches that are
teachers, and then the rest takes care

108
00:08:16,519 --> 00:08:20,720
of itself. And then a new
twist this year was the NBA officiating.

109
00:08:20,199 --> 00:08:24,759
I think oftentimes we don't understand just
you know, especially for some of my

110
00:08:24,879 --> 00:08:30,639
Josh Primo, in twelve months,
he goes from high school to college to

111
00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:35,960
being in the NBA right, So
for him, it's not just understanding that

112
00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:41,080
the three point line has moved back, you know that much in twelve months

113
00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:46,720
from a rules standpoint, Understanding the
hash marks, the defensive box, understanding

114
00:08:46,799 --> 00:08:52,799
spacing, understanding you know how they're
going to be called for fouls you know,

115
00:08:54,039 --> 00:08:58,360
within that defensive boker box or outside, just understanding the game at so

116
00:08:58,399 --> 00:09:01,399
many levels, and and Earl always
says this, and I love it.

117
00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:05,159
I have taken it. There's a
thousand games being played within the game,

118
00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,759
and for for our guys, any
edge that I could give them early on,

119
00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:18,519
I wanted. I wanted to do
that, and that's exactly what we've

120
00:09:18,519 --> 00:09:22,080
done in terms of putting those resources
around them, sports science, NBA officiating,

121
00:09:22,519 --> 00:09:26,879
NBA coaching, and then throughout the
process, I always say it's fluid,

122
00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:33,360
fluid, just making adjustments on the
flight, even sports psychologists and doctors

123
00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:39,519
I'm putting around them, dude,
from either your perspective or did Josh mention

124
00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:43,279
anything about what maybe had the biggest
impact through that process room, whether it

125
00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:46,000
was you, like you said,
the sports scientist, the doctors, the

126
00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,720
NBA head coaches, or the the
NBA officiating, Was there any part of

127
00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:54,039
the process that you think had the
overall biggest impact maybe a little bit more

128
00:09:54,039 --> 00:09:58,480
solid others. No, it's like
it's it's almost I always say it's like

129
00:09:58,919 --> 00:10:01,440
a good rescue. It's a good
meal, right, It's like, what

130
00:10:01,519 --> 00:10:05,200
was the key ingredient? It's like, no, all the ingredients put together

131
00:10:07,039 --> 00:10:11,519
make that that special taste or that
special meal. If I talked to Josh,

132
00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,600
you know, I would say it
was everything. Like when you're that

133
00:10:13,799 --> 00:10:18,799
young and mother nature is still taking
its course in terms of overall development and

134
00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:24,759
he's still growing. Literally, it's
like the sports scientists and the doctors.

135
00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:31,559
That's crucial in terms of, you
know, making sure from a biomechanical standpoint,

136
00:10:31,159 --> 00:10:33,919
you know, we're not just throwing, you know, having him with

137
00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:39,080
the trainer lifting weights for us,
it's like understanding his body, understanding where

138
00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,360
he's at in terms of his overall
development, and then addressing it from a

139
00:10:43,399 --> 00:10:50,440
strength and conditioning standpoint. That was
crucial the coaches, not just the drills

140
00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:56,600
on the court, but the conversations
right the film and then the NBA officiating

141
00:10:56,639 --> 00:11:03,840
they were there for a week really
making down film of you know, Josh

142
00:11:03,879 --> 00:11:07,559
at Alabama, but really breaking down
film of some NBA players and how they

143
00:11:07,639 --> 00:11:11,840
draw fouls or how they get called
for fouls. And then the sports psychologists

144
00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:16,840
like like I said, it's really
just very fluid. There's a timing to

145
00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:22,639
everything, and and it's all part
of that you know, that overall plan,

146
00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,720
but specific to the plan of the
draft in terms of positioning him to

147
00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,240
get drafted as high as possible.
I think part of the reasons some people

148
00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:37,080
get surprised when certain players are drafted
where they are is it's tough for more

149
00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:41,639
fans or maybe you know, people
who are covering the draft mizillion miles out

150
00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:45,840
to envision players in different roles.
And so you have Josh at Alabama who's

151
00:11:45,879 --> 00:11:48,720
basically the you know, the third
or fourth guard for his year there,

152
00:11:48,519 --> 00:11:52,639
and now he's been drafted number twelve
overall. Because the Spurs are envisioning him

153
00:11:52,639 --> 00:11:56,399
in a larger role. What is
sort of his for fans who might not

154
00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:58,200
know a ton about his game,
And I spoke to people who watched or

155
00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:01,519
scout him a bunch in college and
prep for this, But for people who

156
00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:05,360
haven't seen enough of him, what
do you think is his mystery box skill

157
00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,000
so to speak, that you think
is going to contribute the most to him

158
00:12:09,039 --> 00:12:13,600
being successful in the NBA if he's
able to hone it or use it break

159
00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:20,399
it out consistently. Yeah, Josh
for being eighteen and and a half years

160
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:26,919
old, and it came up and
I'm sure there was some comments about it

161
00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:31,159
the interview process, so you could
obviously evaluate a player on the court,

162
00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:37,919
but sometimes you don't know what's going
on again in terms of their level of

163
00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:45,240
maturity, or how they process information
during games, or even just how they

164
00:12:45,279 --> 00:12:50,720
process this information. Overall, Josh
was extremely impressive in interviews, to the

165
00:12:50,759 --> 00:12:54,919
point that if you're sitting across the
table interviewing him, you didn't feel like

166
00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,759
you were talking to an eighteen and
a half year old. You thought you

167
00:12:58,799 --> 00:13:03,600
were talking to a veteran. His
understanding of the game and concepts and reads

168
00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:09,679
is impressive and it's almost like you
know, you're you're seeing the flashes on

169
00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,919
the court in workouts where he's so
young, it's like the synopsis between his

170
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:20,120
brain and his body they're firing and
you're seeing those connections being made, and

171
00:13:20,159 --> 00:13:22,519
it's kind of beautiful, at least
for me as as his agent, and

172
00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,240
so much more from the time I
saw Josh and the gym too, even

173
00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:35,519
three months later, there's been an
incredible development curve for him even in that

174
00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:41,240
short period of time. It's just
talking to him they played a game yesterday,

175
00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:46,120
even seeing how his ball handling has
got in that much tighter. He's

176
00:13:46,159 --> 00:13:50,600
playing the point a lot for the
Spurs because Trey Jones had gone down with

177
00:13:50,639 --> 00:13:54,840
a concussion. And when you get
a player with his size and length and

178
00:13:54,919 --> 00:14:01,080
athleticism and then understanding game, and
then you're seeing him being only eighteen years

179
00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:05,080
old going up against you know,
twenty one, twenty two and even older

180
00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:11,720
players and hold his own. That's
what I see in terms of his best,

181
00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:16,559
best attributes, but also where I
think the Spurs and other teams found

182
00:14:16,639 --> 00:14:20,159
value in him, more value in
him in this process that otherwise they didn't

183
00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:28,000
weren't able to really see at Alabama
this past season. I'm sure there's always

184
00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,879
the youth aspect might be a concern
for some teams, But were there any

185
00:14:30,919 --> 00:14:35,039
other concerns that you knew in general
teams would look at or focus on with

186
00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:39,919
Josh that you you guys were able
to either focus on yourselves behind the scenes

187
00:14:41,039 --> 00:14:43,399
or answer during interviews to put them
at ease, or something that would just

188
00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:50,559
swing the overall and interpretation of we
will draft this really young the youngest player

189
00:14:50,559 --> 00:14:54,240
in the draft, and we want
to make that type of investment in him.

190
00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:58,360
Yeah, you know, it's these
these things are over That's why it's

191
00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:03,519
called the pre draft process. It's
it's a process. You know, teams

192
00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:09,600
like the Spurs that have their own
internal process that has obviously worked well through

193
00:15:09,639 --> 00:15:13,559
the years, you know, in
terms of them identifying you know, Tim

194
00:15:13,639 --> 00:15:16,879
Duncan was I don't want to say
easy, but it was easy right being

195
00:15:16,919 --> 00:15:20,360
at the ACC at Wake Forest and
that was it was a consensus overall number

196
00:15:20,399 --> 00:15:26,639
one pick. But like the Monageer
Noble's, the Tony Parkers, the Kawhi

197
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:33,240
Leonards, these guys that they identified
that actually had more value than where they

198
00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:37,919
were being projected. That's what they
do and in their process that you know,

199
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,519
they have a way of going about
things. So where they were where

200
00:15:41,519 --> 00:15:45,480
they were at with Josh, say
day one in this process, to where

201
00:15:45,519 --> 00:15:50,840
they were at sixty or even ninety
days later at draft night. It evolved

202
00:15:50,159 --> 00:15:56,360
because they were doing their due diligence. We were communicating quite frequently, and

203
00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:00,360
for me, I'm very I try
to be as a objective as possible when

204
00:16:00,399 --> 00:16:06,559
I'm evaluating my clients. And you
know, I told him, I told

205
00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:12,440
them or I was sharing my opinion
because here's the reality is, I'm I'm

206
00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:17,279
not behind my desk in the pre
draft process. My desk is being in

207
00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:21,720
the gym. I'm on the phone
and I'm in the gym every single day

208
00:16:21,799 --> 00:16:26,200
with my new clients that I've just
onboarded in this process. And for me,

209
00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:32,279
it's all about watching them and understanding
where they're at at that moment and

210
00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:37,679
where I feel myself and the staff
and the resources I put around them where

211
00:16:37,679 --> 00:16:41,080
they're going to be right, the
same thing I did with Bascal Siakam and

212
00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:47,320
for Josh, you know, just
watching him that first week and watching his

213
00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:52,440
feet, watching his movement, watching
his shots, watching him compete against other

214
00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,320
clients like Eves Ponds, who was
Defensive Player of the Year at SEC and

215
00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:03,639
just physically gifted and focus. Eugeno
Marui another defensive specialist, and then Justin

216
00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:08,920
Champenny and seeing him at eighteen competing
against these guys that are much older and

217
00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:15,039
in some cases, you know,
winning games or even having those flashes.

218
00:17:15,519 --> 00:17:18,079
It's easy for me to communicate to
say the Spurs to say, guys,

219
00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:22,279
if you were considering him at forty
one, just no, he's not gonna

220
00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:27,480
be there. You better start considering
him with your lottery pick if you're serious,

221
00:17:27,559 --> 00:17:33,880
because this kid is a unicorn.
He's gonna be special, but he's

222
00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,799
going to be a special player in
this league. And you just sort of

223
00:17:37,839 --> 00:17:41,079
outlined him a huge like the process
itself, So I don't want to boil

224
00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:45,000
it down to just one thing,
but was there maybe a flashbowl moment during

225
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,599
the process where you looked at Josh
or you just knew that he is going

226
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:52,279
to go way earlier than expected.
Maybe that initiation moment that would make you

227
00:17:52,319 --> 00:17:55,640
go to the Spurs and say,
hey, he's not going to be there

228
00:17:55,680 --> 00:18:00,240
in the forties, like you need
to start consider taking him earlier. Now

229
00:18:00,279 --> 00:18:03,039
that flash abolve moment was a week
of Josh being in the gym. Wow.

230
00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,279
You know, because I always say
this, it's like again, it's

231
00:18:07,279 --> 00:18:12,119
it's I don't go off projections.
I go off talent. When I'm evaluating

232
00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:18,240
my clients to recruit them, I'm
going off of what I see on Synergy

233
00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:22,359
or in film, or with my
staff or other great basketball minds I consult

234
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:27,799
with and get their opinion. And
then that's one thing of seeing a player

235
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:33,279
in a system, say in this
case with Natos at Alabama, seeing Josh

236
00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,519
in a system. But the college
game is different than the NBA game as

237
00:18:37,559 --> 00:18:45,400
well. So once Josh hit our
gym and we're able to like test drive

238
00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,480
and like push them through some things, it doesn't It didn't take. It

239
00:18:48,519 --> 00:18:53,720
took, like I said that first
week to say, hold on, there's

240
00:18:53,799 --> 00:19:00,160
more to Josh Primo than anybody saw. We saw flashes of it, but

241
00:19:00,279 --> 00:19:03,480
now we're really seeing it. It's
then you start to see, and not

242
00:19:03,599 --> 00:19:07,720
just me the NBA coaches. I
hold on, I'm seeing Devin Booker and

243
00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:14,839
I'm seeing Brandon Roy in him.
I'm seeing this player that's six four six

244
00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,359
six five today, that's still growing, that may end up being six seven

245
00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:22,519
or six eight, you don't know. But regardless, here's a guy that

246
00:19:22,559 --> 00:19:26,440
could play the point, a guy
that could play with the two, guy

247
00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,799
that could play the three. He
could shoot the three, he could get

248
00:19:29,839 --> 00:19:32,039
to the mid range, you could
get a foot in the paint, finish

249
00:19:32,079 --> 00:19:34,039
a by the rim, get you
know, get to the line. He

250
00:19:34,039 --> 00:19:38,240
could create for others. He's got
a great mind and he's only eighteen.

251
00:19:40,079 --> 00:19:44,559
Those those are all the ingredients for
a great player. Now it's my job

252
00:19:44,599 --> 00:19:48,720
to make sure I'm putting the resources
around them to make sure that he's developing

253
00:19:48,319 --> 00:19:53,119
and maximizing that potential. And then
now it's as best as I could in

254
00:19:53,119 --> 00:20:00,799
this draft process trying to at least
strategically playing him ending up with a great

255
00:20:00,839 --> 00:20:06,319
franchise. Obviously it worked out great
with the Spurs, and then now it's

256
00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:11,519
a partnership in terms of us working
together to develop that talent. That's Josh

257
00:20:11,559 --> 00:20:15,920
Primo. You brought up something interesting
that I think people even like someone us

258
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:21,960
covering the league for ten plush years
like myself forgets is these kids are so

259
00:20:22,039 --> 00:20:26,200
young that it's not even just they're
not finished. You know, on court

260
00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:30,720
talents you mentioned, Josh Primo could
still grow because he's only eighteen years old,

261
00:20:30,759 --> 00:20:34,960
And so how much does that like
factor into when you're speaking with teams

262
00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:40,359
or just overall teams impressions of players
where it's it's not just trying to envision

263
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:42,559
what his skill sets could become or
what his size is, you know,

264
00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:48,200
length or actual height or even strength
is right now, but envisioning you know,

265
00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:49,720
three four years down the line when
he's actually that I mean, he's

266
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,440
still a teenager. And just because
the scale at which all these guys are

267
00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,759
covered once they get to the NBA, they're just mistaken for like these older

268
00:20:56,799 --> 00:21:00,440
adults. I feel like a lot
of the times, so I'm just racist

269
00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:04,599
to how much of a factor is
that unknown physical attribute can actually help or

270
00:21:04,759 --> 00:21:10,759
doesn't even hurt prospects style? Sometimes
Yeah, then so I'll talk to you

271
00:21:10,799 --> 00:21:14,920
like you're the GM of a team
and I'm talking about Josh Primo. For

272
00:21:15,039 --> 00:21:18,119
me, it's like Josh Primo,
guys is only eighteen years old. You

273
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:25,119
saw his pedigree, say in International
Basketball VWB, and then now at Alabama

274
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:29,240
and then now you're seeing him,
well, one guy's you know how I

275
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:33,400
look and evaluate players, look at
Pascal or Thomas Bryan or some of the

276
00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,240
clients that I've said what their potential
is, it's much greater than how people

277
00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:41,440
are looking at them. But for
me, guys, you know, I

278
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:44,720
would say, for me my processes. Does the player love the game?

279
00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:49,440
Do they have a work ethic?
Right? Josh checks those two boxes.

280
00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:56,119
And if you didn't grow another inch, does he have good size and ability

281
00:21:56,119 --> 00:22:00,200
in a skill set for what's trended
in the NBA. Now for someone at

282
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,279
his position, right, he checks
all those boxes. Now, let's say,

283
00:22:03,279 --> 00:22:08,279
guys, you remember what it was
to be eighteen. Mother nature still

284
00:22:08,319 --> 00:22:12,119
has to take its course. So
him at you know, one hundred and

285
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:17,519
ninety five pounds at sixty five,
with the six nine wingspan and everything else,

286
00:22:18,279 --> 00:22:22,000
mother nature hasn't taken his course.
Look at his parents, look at

287
00:22:22,079 --> 00:22:26,680
his father. Look at the fact
that the kid's shoe size grew one full

288
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,839
shoe size in the last year from
fourteens and fifteens. So or look at

289
00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,960
the fact that in Alabama when they
did when he injured his knee, they

290
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:41,079
did imaging of his body and his
hips and his growth plates were still wide

291
00:22:41,079 --> 00:22:45,920
open. So you start taking those
factors in and for me, it's creating

292
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:51,319
this narrative that's based on you know
what, you know, reality is,

293
00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:55,599
it's like that kid's not done growing. And it doesn't necessarily mean just height.

294
00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:00,119
It's weight, it's strength, it's
a number of different things. And

295
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:07,000
imagine now a kid like that checking
into college at seventeen during a pandemic that's

296
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:12,119
originally from Canada. That if you
have any experience with Canada, the way

297
00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:18,480
they've dealt with the pandemic, it's
much more conservative than the most conservative market

298
00:23:18,799 --> 00:23:22,200
here in the US. I can
make an argument that his development has been

299
00:23:22,279 --> 00:23:27,319
hindered right to this point. Now, his focus is all basketball. He's

300
00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:32,559
with a great franchise that knows player
development. He loves the game, he's

301
00:23:32,599 --> 00:23:37,400
extremely focused, he has a bb
i Q. You put all those factors

302
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,440
together and that's the makings of something
great. So that's you know, So

303
00:23:41,599 --> 00:23:45,079
it's for the team now to like
get him into the gym, put him

304
00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:49,519
through the workout, evaluate him,
and I like to think I know what

305
00:23:49,559 --> 00:23:55,279
I'm talking about. They'll see that
all the things I'm talking about aren't biased

306
00:23:55,480 --> 00:24:00,200
or exaggerated. They're usually going to
be aligned with what they see from that

307
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,759
player in a workout. In this
case, it was Josh and in the

308
00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:07,160
line. If you go back to
like the stuff, the videos, the

309
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:11,480
clips, the impressions that were coming
out around the draft combine of Josh,

310
00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,599
I feel like that's when he was
really first thrown onto the national radar.

311
00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:18,400
Again, outside of the really intimate
basketball circles, a lot of the focus

312
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,880
was just on It didn't seem like
people when you're looking at scouts or people

313
00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:26,200
that cover college basketball or the NBA
Draft in general, didn't really expect to

314
00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:30,160
see like the self creation that he
was showing. You're obviously working with more

315
00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:34,920
information at this point. At that
point, was it as revelatory his performance

316
00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,680
there for teams, coaches, scouts
that were watching, or was that just

317
00:24:38,759 --> 00:24:45,240
more so this is the first time
it's really being relayed from the media.

318
00:24:45,559 --> 00:24:48,720
That's a great question. I think, well, I'll say this, and

319
00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:53,039
respectfully, I was working with the
most information even up till draft night,

320
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:59,079
and it's and that's not being arrogant. That's when you're spending That's why I

321
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:03,400
love the pre draft process so much
in terms of relationship with my clients,

322
00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,400
is when I'm in the gym every
day and we're going to lunch or we're

323
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:12,480
talking before after workouts, and we're
traveling with guys and really getting to know

324
00:25:12,559 --> 00:25:18,119
them and their families. Intimately,
I have way more hours than any scout

325
00:25:18,279 --> 00:25:22,079
or team with that family and that
individual. Up to this point, I

326
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,319
just do right and even in the
gym. So at that point, it's

327
00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:32,519
funny teams like the Spurs and other
teams that were very interested in Josh day

328
00:25:32,559 --> 00:25:38,400
one the combine. The combine was, you know, a blessing and a

329
00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:44,119
curse for them, because teams will
try to keep that secret to themselves,

330
00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:48,200
and that secret was Josh primo,
right, because they're evaluating them, they

331
00:25:48,279 --> 00:25:52,319
might see them seeing them at BWB, maybe had some people in Canada that

332
00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:56,559
they trusted that was letting them know
about Josh. But then the secret was

333
00:25:56,599 --> 00:25:59,799
out of the bag, right,
so to speak. At the combine where

334
00:26:00,279 --> 00:26:04,480
it's like, where's this ball handling, playmaking ability been in the last year,

335
00:26:04,559 --> 00:26:07,720
teams didn't see that. They just
thought he was a catching two player.

336
00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:14,640
But Josh, being the coachable player
that he is, that was what

337
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:18,240
he needed to do in a system
at Alabama for his team to be successful,

338
00:26:18,519 --> 00:26:22,799
and he played that role. But
once he went into this process,

339
00:26:22,839 --> 00:26:26,640
he was able to really show his
full skill set, and I think even

340
00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:30,200
people at Summer League are starting to
see the things that he's able to do.

341
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:34,440
And that's where it was just like, okay, if we're considering him

342
00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,960
at forty one, that we can
no longer do that. We got to

343
00:26:38,079 --> 00:26:41,960
really pay attention to his process that's
very fluid. And this is the Spurs

344
00:26:42,039 --> 00:26:47,559
probably saying this where forty one,
Todd's right, He's not going to be

345
00:26:47,599 --> 00:26:52,039
there at forty one. We gotta
seriously consider him being a first round prospect

346
00:26:52,319 --> 00:26:57,160
and if we have this lottery pick, he should be in consideration, like

347
00:26:57,279 --> 00:27:00,480
you said, and it's not arrogant
job like to have and you're also a

348
00:27:00,559 --> 00:27:03,880
round them, or you have more
information than anyone through this process, is

349
00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,319
there? Did you have an idea
then on draft night that he could go

350
00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,079
at twelve, because that's that's a
monster leap, and it was clear that

351
00:27:11,079 --> 00:27:14,759
he was projected. I think when
you looked at big boards, a lot

352
00:27:14,799 --> 00:27:17,519
of them moved him up to like
the late teens, early twenties, and

353
00:27:17,519 --> 00:27:19,359
so that's even still a bigger jump
from there. Do you have an idea

354
00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,480
going in or is that even a
little bit of a surprise for you?

355
00:27:22,559 --> 00:27:26,160
And Josh to see him go there, It wasn't a surprise, to be

356
00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:30,720
honest with you. He was gonna
go higher. And I won't say the

357
00:27:30,799 --> 00:27:36,839
team out of respect, but a
player fell at Josh's position that was rated

358
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:41,880
higher than him and and and I'm
grateful for it because I think it's a

359
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,039
perfect fit with Josh, bet and
san Antonio. But Josh was going to

360
00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:52,000
get drafted even higher. So it
wasn't a surprise. I could, I

361
00:27:52,039 --> 00:27:56,440
could rattle off and I won't.
You know, I got a great relationship

362
00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,960
with the NBA because I was advocating
for Josh to get a green room invite.

363
00:28:02,519 --> 00:28:06,480
And it is funny to me because
like when I'm on the phone's talking

364
00:28:06,519 --> 00:28:11,079
to these teams, I get a
good sense on where he's being projected.

365
00:28:11,079 --> 00:28:14,720
In some cases, teams are asking
me, Hey, Todd, where's Josh

366
00:28:14,759 --> 00:28:18,039
going to be drafted? And I'll
ask him where do you think he's going

367
00:28:18,079 --> 00:28:21,440
to be drafting? They're like,
Todd, I think that's pretty aligned with

368
00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,920
what we're hearing or seeing. Well, we don't have a big there,

369
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,160
but we want to get into the
mix for Josh. Where would we have

370
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,920
to be And I'll say, well, you have to be here in the

371
00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:36,440
lottery or in the teens, and
you know there's no hesitation on there and

372
00:28:36,599 --> 00:28:38,799
that they need to be there.
So you know, the reality is with

373
00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:41,200
mock drafts, you know you got
to be careful with them. And I

374
00:28:41,279 --> 00:28:47,759
respect those guys because they're talking to
teams, But the reality is this as

375
00:28:47,799 --> 00:28:52,200
an agent, when I'm getting information, especially for someone like Josh Primo that's

376
00:28:52,559 --> 00:28:56,359
was in the beginning of this process
projected in the second round, right when

377
00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:00,359
I'm moving up at talent like that
in the draft. My job is to

378
00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:06,640
take information and use it to then
leverage it to move a player up higher

379
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:10,519
in the process. In this case, with his range being so wide,

380
00:29:11,279 --> 00:29:17,799
you don't know how high he's ultimately
going to be until you're actually in it

381
00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:22,000
because the process is so very fluid. But if i'm you know, I

382
00:29:22,079 --> 00:29:26,279
give the credit to Josh and their
family. They trusted the process he worked

383
00:29:26,319 --> 00:29:33,880
out for a ton of teams and
middles are teams as high as the lottery

384
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:40,640
say, you know ten all the
way to teams that were scheduled in the

385
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,799
early thirties. But once we got
in the process, I eliminated a lot

386
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:48,000
of teams really after the combine,
when I knew he was solidified in the

387
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:53,880
first round, started eliminating teams on
the back end of the twenties and started

388
00:29:53,920 --> 00:30:00,000
focusing on really ten to twenty six
because there was enough time to get in

389
00:30:00,039 --> 00:30:06,119
those other teams too, as an
insurance policy to have them work out with

390
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:11,720
them. When you're going about that
part of this, is it just about

391
00:30:11,839 --> 00:30:15,240
trying to move him up? Are
you also factoring in where you think and

392
00:30:15,279 --> 00:30:18,279
maybe even he thinks that is going
to be the best fit for him long

393
00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,519
term as an organization rather than just
the raw number of where he's drafted.

394
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:29,000
Yeah. I always say this,
Agents don't draft players. Teams do.

395
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,799
I think once upon a time,
on my side, because I got started

396
00:30:33,839 --> 00:30:37,480
in this business at nineteen, agents
had a lot of influence with teams to

397
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:45,960
manipulate the draft. Now that's not
the case because GM in front office jobs,

398
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:49,880
it's such a fickle business. They're
being hired and fired at a very

399
00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:57,079
high rate if they're not having success
as a franchise or they're missing it as

400
00:30:57,079 --> 00:31:02,519
it relates to the draft. So
those days of favors happening are long gone

401
00:31:02,599 --> 00:31:08,519
in my opinion. So those those
teams when they went into the process of

402
00:31:08,559 --> 00:31:18,079
evaluating Josh like they evaluated him based
on his on his talent, and as

403
00:31:18,119 --> 00:31:22,119
I was talking to them, it
was again then looking at Josh's talent and

404
00:31:22,119 --> 00:31:27,079
comparing them to some other prospects that
were one and done type prospects and saying

405
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:33,559
his upside they thought was greater than
others. And for me, even though

406
00:31:33,559 --> 00:31:37,839
I can't control the draft of exactly
where he's going to be drafted, I

407
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:41,359
always say this like you, For
me, I want all my clients with

408
00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:48,119
good franchises. What's a good franchise
A franchise that has stability all the way

409
00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,240
up to ownership, their front office
and coaching staff, and has a history

410
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:59,279
of developing young talent into what I
like to think are all stars or superstar

411
00:31:59,359 --> 00:32:04,200
level players. That's very important because
my play my clients are products of their

412
00:32:04,279 --> 00:32:07,200
environment being so young, so I
need them in good locker rooms with good

413
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:13,720
coaches and everything else. If that
franchise has instability, it could have impact

414
00:32:13,799 --> 00:32:20,359
the trajectory of that player's development.
So for me, again going through this

415
00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:27,720
process and strategizing it was making sure
that he was working out for teams within

416
00:32:27,759 --> 00:32:34,440
his range, but identifying what I
thought were great franchises that I thought could

417
00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:39,519
help in terms of his development to
get to what I think he'll be is

418
00:32:39,559 --> 00:32:46,720
a perennial All Star or even superstar
status in this league a lot of times

419
00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:51,119
and this year was probably different,
and in twenty twenty was obviously incredibly different.

420
00:32:51,119 --> 00:32:55,000
Teams were working with a lot of
information on players before the combine and

421
00:32:55,039 --> 00:33:00,279
before they have them for individual workouts. Was there any more stock placed and

422
00:33:00,519 --> 00:33:05,359
maybe the individual workouts that Josh or
other prospects had this year because teams did

423
00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,799
have limited more limited access than usual
to watching them during the season, And

424
00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:15,519
you hit the nail on the head. I think a lot of people missed

425
00:33:15,559 --> 00:33:19,720
the mark this year. This was
one of the most talented drafts in recent

426
00:33:19,799 --> 00:33:25,559
history. You saw a lot of
talented players go undrafted. And I always

427
00:33:25,559 --> 00:33:30,240
say every draft, every free agency
is a different market and you have to

428
00:33:30,359 --> 00:33:37,119
factor in, you know, sometimes
factors that otherwise aren't playing into this or

429
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,519
in this case, it's an act
of God, it's a pandemic. So

430
00:33:39,759 --> 00:33:45,319
what you said was a major factor
in at least for me approaching this draft

431
00:33:45,319 --> 00:33:49,720
process. For my clients, I
knew they were going to have to work

432
00:33:49,839 --> 00:33:55,519
harder in this process, regardless of
their talent or projection, because teams weren't

433
00:33:55,599 --> 00:34:00,200
able to see them during the year
because of the pandemic. So that meant

434
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:05,559
that, you know, and maybe
any other normal year, maybe Josh Primo,

435
00:34:05,839 --> 00:34:08,320
I don't put him in the combine. You know, maybe I don't

436
00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:13,960
put some of my other guys because
teams would have saw them during the season

437
00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:17,400
and knew that he was a lottery
level talent. It's hard to say now,

438
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:21,159
even looking back, if that would
be the case if things were normal.

439
00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:23,800
But I made sure that one the
guys got the training, but two,

440
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:30,800
I made sure to expose them to
teams so that teams could see their

441
00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:36,719
talent, evaluate them, and then
position them, you know, make sure

442
00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,920
that their position as high as possible
going into draft night, where teams,

443
00:34:42,039 --> 00:34:45,000
you know, it was if a
player went undrafted or fell in the draft.

444
00:34:45,039 --> 00:34:49,599
For us, we knew that we
covered our basis, and even for

445
00:34:49,679 --> 00:34:52,920
our clients that went undrafted, all
of them had two way guaranteed contracts,

446
00:34:54,800 --> 00:35:00,519
you know, whether before the draft
ended or immediately after of the draft,

447
00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:06,119
and they were on NBA rosters.
Do you think that contributed to what felt

448
00:35:06,159 --> 00:35:08,480
like, you know, there wasn't
a ton of movement, like picks being

449
00:35:08,519 --> 00:35:13,679
traded in the first round, and
yet it still felt like after the first

450
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,599
seven or so names that it was
utter anarchy. Do you think that contributed

451
00:35:16,639 --> 00:35:23,840
to why there were so many wide
draft ranges this year? Wide draft ranges

452
00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:27,639
on players. Yeah, Like,
I mean you even mentioned it with Josh

453
00:35:27,679 --> 00:35:30,519
where you're talking about the Spurs.
Initially we're looking at him in the forties

454
00:35:30,559 --> 00:35:31,920
and all of a sudden, he's
number twelve. And you can correct me

455
00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:36,280
if I'm wrong here, but that
feels like going into it a very atypical

456
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:40,079
draft range for a prospect here when
you're going from lottery to second round.

457
00:35:40,079 --> 00:35:45,199
And I do think there are a
lot of more surprise picks other than Josh.

458
00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:50,239
Yeah, you know, And I
say this respectfully to other agents about

459
00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,960
other agents. Everyone has their theories
on how the draft process should go.

460
00:35:53,679 --> 00:35:59,159
And maybe it's because of my basketball
background. I I'm not just thinking about

461
00:35:59,159 --> 00:36:02,280
the draft. I'm thinking about my
clients and their careers moving forward. And

462
00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:06,559
I hate to use this term,
but it's like I don't want any team

463
00:36:06,599 --> 00:36:12,480
to have buyer's remorse right because there's
some theories about you know, manipulating the

464
00:36:12,559 --> 00:36:16,320
draft and hiding players and X,
Y and Z to get them drafted higher.

465
00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:22,480
But the problem with that is if
a team that's drafted that player thinking

466
00:36:22,519 --> 00:36:29,039
that they're that they're investing in something
that otherwise they didn't have all the information.

467
00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:34,199
One step player is under their roof
and their practice facility, and now

468
00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:37,159
they're pushing that player. Now they
realize they're they're not what they're what they

469
00:36:37,199 --> 00:36:42,360
thought they were. That's not only
a problem for the franchise. That's a

470
00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:45,519
problem for the player, and it's
a problem for me as their agent if

471
00:36:45,519 --> 00:36:49,639
that's the case. For me,
I always say every player coming into the

472
00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:53,400
NBA has holes in their game,
every single one. So for me,

473
00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:58,159
it's not a problem. It's for
me, it's preparing my clients, but

474
00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:04,000
it's also exposing them to the franchise
because I want my clients going again to

475
00:37:04,079 --> 00:37:08,920
good franchises, but I want them
going to places or franchises where they're wanted,

476
00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:14,840
including their flaws. Because if a
team is going to buy into a

477
00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:19,519
player knowing that there's a hole in
their game or there's a flaw that could

478
00:37:19,519 --> 00:37:23,159
otherwise be developed because they're young,
that's the place that I think they should

479
00:37:23,159 --> 00:37:30,199
be because they know exactly what they're
getting and committing to. I've asked you

480
00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:34,039
this question before, but it's I've
always enjoyed hearing about it, so I'll

481
00:37:34,079 --> 00:37:38,960
ask it again. What goes into
now the player agent relationship with the draft

482
00:37:39,039 --> 00:37:42,440
over? And I think a lot
of people only mention agents when it's you

483
00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:45,239
know, a new contract time or
the pre draft process or if there's a

484
00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:50,119
trade room or out there. What
else goes into the agent player relationship in

485
00:37:50,199 --> 00:37:53,119
terms of maintaining that now that you
know it could be specifically with Josh,

486
00:37:53,159 --> 00:37:57,679
but you have past Galcyakam Kavan,
Luony, Thomas Bryant, Like, what

487
00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:01,039
goes into maintaining these relationship ships now
when it's not a contract here or they're

488
00:38:01,079 --> 00:38:06,400
not being they're not part of the
pre draft process. You know. Every

489
00:38:06,519 --> 00:38:09,559
again, every player agent relationship is
different. I know for me, it's

490
00:38:09,639 --> 00:38:15,480
always about you know, it's like
my clients laugh at me and really more

491
00:38:15,519 --> 00:38:21,599
so their parents. I say that
I'm a wedding planner and a marriage counselor

492
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,039
you know, during the pre draft
process, right because the draft is this

493
00:38:25,159 --> 00:38:30,679
big hyped up celebration, which is
important, Like I want it to be

494
00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:34,440
special for my clients. But you
know, it's like the stories of the

495
00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,360
wedding plan and they hear they see
the couple or they see the groom or

496
00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:39,800
the Brian, they're like, ah, this person is not going to make

497
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:45,960
it or they have something genuine here. So for me, that's that's it.

498
00:38:45,079 --> 00:38:50,880
For my clients is one. I'm
meticulous about who I represent and there

499
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:58,119
has to be that fit where there's
that relationship there or that bond because it's

500
00:38:58,119 --> 00:39:02,159
a very personal business where my clients
need to take my advice because that's what

501
00:39:02,199 --> 00:39:07,559
they're hiring me for based on my
experience, and I'm not one to sugarcoat

502
00:39:07,639 --> 00:39:12,079
information to them. So not only
do you have to trust me, but

503
00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:16,239
they got to be able to take
the information that I'm communicating to them.

504
00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:22,039
So you know, the pre draft
process, yes, is establishing that relationship

505
00:39:22,119 --> 00:39:25,039
or the report with the client.
But after the draft, and I tell

506
00:39:25,079 --> 00:39:29,280
this is my clients, phase one
is over. This is phase two.

507
00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:32,639
Like a marriage or like a wedding, the real work, you know,

508
00:39:32,719 --> 00:39:37,480
the real work of a marriage happens
after the wedding. So now we got

509
00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:39,039
to really put in the work.
Now it's phase two, you know,

510
00:39:39,079 --> 00:39:43,920
I sit down with my clients.
We have a goal, we write down.

511
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:47,559
I make sure my clients write down
their goals short term and long term,

512
00:39:47,639 --> 00:39:52,840
and then we get to work with
putting together a plan to make sure

513
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:59,159
that those things are being executed,
because if we're able to check those boxes,

514
00:40:00,079 --> 00:40:02,519
good things will happen a few years
from now when they're up for their

515
00:40:02,519 --> 00:40:08,159
second contract. I tell all my
clients, is the rookies your second The

516
00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:15,039
negotiations for your second contract have already
begun right there. You can't wait to

517
00:40:15,079 --> 00:40:22,559
negotiate until that contract year. Every
little detail of their approach to practice the

518
00:40:22,679 --> 00:40:28,400
games, their professionalism, how they
are in the community, their relationship with

519
00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,400
the coaching staff and the organization,
and just the work we put in.

520
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:37,159
That's all building towards the negotiation of
what I hope would be max contracts or

521
00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:43,920
maximizing their potential. So that's that's
what's going into everything now, and then

522
00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:47,719
constant communication with the team. I
think every a lot of agents will agree

523
00:40:49,159 --> 00:40:52,519
in some ways, the easy part
is in the negotiation. The dip more

524
00:40:52,599 --> 00:40:57,599
difficulty is in the servicing of those
contracts is where the real work is.

525
00:40:59,199 --> 00:41:01,519
Well, thank you so much for
coming on giving us a lot more insight

526
00:41:01,559 --> 00:41:06,400
into the pre draft process for Josh
Primoan, just the process overall. I

527
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:10,239
know, as someone who doesn't get
into watching college prospects until right before the

528
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:14,400
draft, he's one of the players
I'm most fascinated by, in part because

529
00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:16,119
of that huge jumps, So I'll
certainly be keeping an eye on him.

530
00:41:16,119 --> 00:41:20,440
And again, thank you so much
for stopping by once again and giving us

531
00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:23,920
some more insight into how that all
came about. No, I appreciate you

532
00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:29,440
having having me on. It's always
a pleasure to talk about talk shop about

533
00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:34,199
basketball and what the current state is, whether it's draft, free agency,

534
00:41:35,039 --> 00:41:37,920
or any of my clients. I
appreciate you graving me on again