How Player Agents Could Shape The Hornets Draft

When it comes to the NBA draft there are a number of factors fans take into account when trying to figure out who their team will take. Size, strength, skill and attitude are discussed tirelessly throughout late May and June, but what if there was a giant clue staring us in the face? This entire article has a little bit of a “conspiracy theory” feel to it, so if you enjoy that side of the NBA then keep reading.

Once a player declares for a draft they sign with an agent, these agents advise them on who they should/shouldn’t workout for, if they should participate in the draft combine, etc. They are very involved from the word go. A good relationship between teams and agents can be a major catalyst in a player wanting to go to a team in free agency. Those who say agents don’t matter in the draft time aren’t paying attention. For example, why do teams always work out a ton of college guys who aren’t anywhere near anyone’s draft radar? Simple. It keeps the agents of those players happy. Sure, it’s only a small part of the puzzle, but it’s important. It’s like going out with a girl – it doesn’t matter how fancy the restaurant is, you won’t be going on a second date if you don’t hold the door for her. It’s the little things that count.

Hornets fans have already seen first-hand the power of having a good relationship with an agent. In the summer of 2013 Kemba Walker famously recruited Al Jefferson through mutual agent Jeff Schwartz, Big Al’s first year in Charlotte was arguably the most successful since the expansion of the franchise in 2004.

Draft Express to a great job collating all the draft prospect agent listings into one, easy to read list. This has enabled me to cross reference the current Hornets players agents with the 2015 draft prospects agents and what I found is interesting.

Below, I broke down which agents represent both Hornets players and draft prospects, I have also included each prospects Draft Express Top 100 ratings to help people identify the caliber of player.

Andy Miller — Brian Roberts, Jason Maxiell

2015– #8 Kristaps Porzingis, #11 Myles Turner, #23 Christian Wood, #25 Jarrell Martin, #35 Chris McCollough, #40 Guillermo Hernangomez

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NBA Agent: Bill Duffy — Jeff Taylor

– #2 Jahil Okafor, #9 Stanley Johnson, #12 Kelly Oubre, #30 Robert Upshaw, #71 Vince Hunter, #78 Brandon Ashley

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NBA Agent: Mark Bartelstein — Mo Williams

– #13 Sam Dekker, #17 Trey Lyles, #24 RJ Hunter, #27 Cliff Alexander

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NBA Agent: Leon Rose — Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

– #1 Karl Towns, #15 Devin Booker, #34 Dakari Johnson

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NBA Agent: Sam Goldfeder — Cody Zeller

– #48 Tyler Harvey,#38 Anthony Brown, N/A Ricardo Barbosa

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NBA Agent: Arn Tellem — Bismack Biyombo, Gerald Henderson

– #7 DX Top 100 Mario Hezjona, #54 DX Top 100 Nedium Buza

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NBA Agent: Jeff Schwartz — Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker, Noah Vonleh

– #41 DX Top 100 Rashard Vaughn

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NBA Agent: Jim Tanner — Marvin Williams

– #84 Brendan Dawson

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NBA Agent: Jonathan Stahler — PJ Hairston*

NBA Agent: Alberto Ebanks — Lance Stephenson*

NBA Agent: John Spencer — Troy Daniels

Does your favorite prospect appear on the list above? If so, you can expect them to at least come in for a workout. I understand the information from the list above can be difficult to digest and interpret, so I decided to take a closer look at some particularly interesting prospects who might be available around our picks, and also share agents with Hornets players.

#9 Pick Candidates

Mario Hejonza – 6’8 – SG/SF

This should be a name the majority of Hornets fans are familiar with by now, Hejonza seems to be The-People’s-Choice in this draft. An uber-athletic, lights-out shooter who plays with a swagger that makes P.J. Hairston look like a puppy. What’s not to like? Hezjona’s agent Arn Tellem has a long standing history of representing the best international prospects. His current Hornets clients are Bismack Biyombo and Gerald Henderson, both of which have been with the Hornets long-term. Tellem worked closely with Cho when the Bobcats executed the trade to move up in the 2011 draft to select Biyombo. He also negotiated Henderson re-signing in Charlotte in the summer of 2013, so it’s fair to say Tellem and the Hornets know each other pretty well.

Devin Booker – 6’6 – SG

I think that #9 is his ceiling in terms of how high he goes in the draft, most project him as a late lottery/mid-1st round pick. Booker is a great shooter (You might have noticed a running theme here). He’s tremendous at navigating open looks off screens and shot 41% from three. Booker shares Michael Kidd-Glichrist’s agent Leon Rose. Depending what direction contract extension talks go this summer with MKG, it could have some affect on Rose pushing Booker towards the Hornets. Rose will also realize that #9 is likely as high as Booker will go in the draft, so expect him to come in for at least one workout during the draft process.

#39 Pick Candidates

Rashad Vaughn – 6’5 – SG

It was a surprise to some that the UNLV freshman wing entered the draft, Vaughn is the second youngest player in the draft, but projects to be a second rounder. Vaughn’s agent Jeff Schwartz also represents Kemba, Al and Vonleh – those players all project to be part of the Hornets long-term core so it’s reasonable to expect the Hornets to have a pretty strong relationship. Vaughn has terrific size for a shooting guard at 6’5 and uses this to rise up over small defenders to create clean looks. For a freshman Vaughn was very productive, posting 18.3 PPG at a mediocre field goal percentage of 44.7%. However, what will stick out to most is Vaughn’s three point shooting, he attempted 6.3 three point attempts per game and converted an efficient 38.4% from beyond the arc. Vaughn has time on his side being the second youngest prospect in the draft at just 18.6 years old, with a strong off-the-dribble game and a good jump shot he should definitely be on the Hornets radar.

Tyler Harvey – 6-4 – SG

Tyler Harvey is another under-the-radar scoring guard. Harvey lead the nation in scoring at 22.9PPG. He struggles for size and strength, but he is a very gifted shooter and connected on 41% of his 9.6 three-point-attempts per game. That volume and efficiency is magnificent considering he was the only real perimeter threat on his team and consistently saw multiple defenders. Harvey shares an agent with Cody Zeller, who the Hornets took in the draft just two years ago, so don’t be surprised to see him in for a workout – a second round target if the Hornets don’t take a scoring wing with their first round pick.

It is essential to try and find any clue you can when it comes to the draft. Players agents might just be a big one. Does this mean the Hornets won’t draft anyone not on the list above? Absolutely not, but agents can have a big say in shaping teams. Just look at what Rich Paul did in Cleveland with LeBron.

The good news is the Hornets have good relationships with a lot of agents who are representing shooters in this draft, which just happens to be their greatest need. On top of the targets I pulled out, you can add RJ Hunter, a mid-first round prospect, and Anthony Brown, another shooting wing from Stanford. The Hornets needs shooting and this draft is stacked with it.

* It’s slightly worrisome that the agents of two players on the Hornets roster with a track record of “attitude” issues (PJ & Lance) don’t have any draft prospects signed to them. Is this a coincidence, or does it suggest that Lance and PJ take advice from agents who are disconnected from the rest of the NBA? Neither Ebanks & Stahler represent any other players in the entire draft. This suggests they are friends rather than the best man for the job.