JR SportBrief with Tollu Smith

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Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with AllTrails. It's the JR Sportbree show here with you on the infinity sports network coast to coast. We know the NBA draft is in the rear view. We've got people getting ready for the Vegas summer league. We've got people signing contracts. We've got people getting ready to sign deals. We're waiting on trades. We got press conferences. The NBA is just running things all over the damn place.

It's that time of year. So we had to open up the show by talking about what's going on with the Los Angeles Lakers. But right here with me in Atlanta, Georgia, I got a guest joining me right now who signed a contract post draft with the Detroit Pistons. Okay.

His name is Tolu Smith, Mississippi state represent for four years, multiple time SCC. How are you doing, man? You good? I'm great boss, man. I'm blessed. Well, thank you for taking the time to be here. Now for anyone who's not familiar, learn about you. We got people listening in Hawaii.

Somebody's listening in the submarine somewhere. Fill us in. You come out of Mississippi state. You just signed with the Pistons. You're a big man. You're six foot 11, seven feet tall. What's the deal? Who are you, bro?

Yeah. So my name is Tolu Smith. I'm originally from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, from the deep South Gulf coast, a rural area. Came up in a great neighborhood, great family.

My mom saw more on my dad's black, put a lot of good things and still a lot of good things in me, my brother, man. And a lot of, a lot of determination, a lot of good, hard work, you know, led to this. Listen, Tolu Smith is joining us on a contract with the Detroit Pistons last week. You've had the work for everything that you got.

Absolutely. I mean, even through your time in Mississippi state, you had a foot injury, you had your ups, you had your downs. What led you to this opportunity to sign with the Pistons? Because a lot of guys, obviously they want to go to Brooklyn.

They want to get drafted. You had to get it through the dirt. Yeah, man. If anybody knows me, knows me personally, they know everything was earned, not given. I came from, I don't want to say nothing, cause I mean, I had a great family, great childhood, but damn near, I just, I had to work for everything, man. I didn't have a lot of offers coming out of high school. Didn't have a lot of buzz coming out of college. Still not getting out a lot of buzz, but like I said, man, I earned everything and I'd rather be that way. You know, I'd rather be that underdog, that killer that they don't see that hitting gym.

And I just come out ready. So Tolu, Mississippi state, what did you pick up from being there all four years? Cause you originally had transferred over from Western Kentucky. What did you get out of those four years? How did you develop as a, as a man and also as a basketball player?

Yeah, man. So as a, as a basketball player, it was a lot, uh, going from the Conference USA, which is a mid-major. It was still a great conference to the SEC. It's the big boy league.

I feel like that's the next thing to the NBA at this point. Um, so I had to, I had to take it red shirt year. I learned, um, the physicality, the level of development that you need to have to be able to even compete in this league.

Um, and just the pace of the ball, pace of basketball and SEC is different. Um, as a man, I learned a lot too. Uh, I learned about patience. I learned about how to properly take care of my body. Um, I was, I was always in the gym three to four times and you know, that's, that's, that's great to hear. It's great to talk about, but you know, it could be a tear and wear on your body and that's exactly what happened.

So I had to learn the hard way, but yeah, I learned a lot of things from Mississippi state. Yeah. Piston, Sonny Tolu Smith is joining us here at the JR sport reshow on the infinity sports network for pistons fans and people who are going to be checking you out and they're looking at the highlights. Who are you? What you do define your game?

Motor. I'm a dog. Uh, I think, uh, I come in, I want to help my team, uh, win. I want to do whatever it takes to win. I think the biggest thing about my game is I, uh, I made my teammates feel confident. Um, I think I helped my teammates get better shots, but better opportunities. And, um, obviously I can score the ball, but, you know, going into the league, it's a lot of guys that can score the ball as well.

You got a K Cunningham, you got a market Sasser. So you got to find a role, find a niche. I think that's something that I do, uh, whether that be rebounding, whether it be screening, rolling.

Uh, I think I do a little bit at all. You talked about some of your potential teammates now with the pistons, a K Cunningham, we know he goes out there and he gets it from the time that you started playing basketball up until now, how have you had to change if you had your approach? Because it seems like the league continues to change. I mean, if we go back years ago, someone at your height, they'd say, Hey man, stand down low.

They wouldn't want you doing nothing. Pick and roll, you know, grab the rebound, block the shot. How has your game developed over the years?

Man, it's great because I had a father that was ahead of the, ahead of the, uh, the pipeline. I think he, he instilled the ability to bring the ball up, the ability to pass the ball. Um, making driving plays, you know, most big guys, they down to the basket, back to the basket. But I think, um, in terms of my game, I can be versatile. I can stretch the floor a little bit. I can bring the ball down.

I can, um, push the transition if need be. So, um, like you said, a big man of my, of my height, of my size a few years ago, a couple of years ago would have been a top pick, but now it's, it's, uh, what, what else can you do? What else do you bring to the table? So it's totally Smith, piston sign. He is here with us, the JR sport re-show you mentioned your pops. What influence has he had on this process for you? He's my right hand, man. You know, he's, uh, I love him to death. It gives, he has a lot of wisdom behind him. Um, he knows a lot of, of Intel.

Here's a lot of intelligence behind him. Um, whether it be basketball or just in life in general, I tend to go to him a lot about things or, or, um, things I need help with issues. I need help with, you know, he's always there for me, man. So this process has been a lot smoother with him around.

Um, and I'm very thankful for him and my mother. So, well, tell us about the process because we all know about the glitz and glamour. We know about the draft. It's now two days. You had to have just been like checking your phone or put your phone away. And what was that process from, from, from sign and man, this is, you had to been real anxious about this, man.

Absolutely. Um, I had some opportunities. I thought I had um, to get drafted late round, late second round, but that's fine. I mean, um, I think the day of the draft, I was a little more nervous than anything, but, uh, I did some things that I'm, that makes me feel better. Uh, it's somewhat of a comforting, I went to go fish with my pops and, uh, my brother. That's some things that we like to do in the South.

We'll play some spades, things that get your mind off of it. So, um, it was a great day. Um, and, uh, um, it was a great day. Um, I just think that, you know, it was a great day for me and my family.

So, so what, what happened that day? We know the pistons have, have gone through some changes. Trajan Langdon is now running the show. Now a bigger staff is now the head coach. So what happened to you?

You got your agent got a call agent called you describe the process for us. Yeah. So I had a workout with the pistons. Um, I had like 11, 12 workouts and I say Detroit was one of the top three workouts I had, um, just a great environment. The facility was top tier, uh, met some great people along the way in Detroit. And, um, I thought it was a great environment for me. And, um, that day of the draft, I got a call after the draft and it was like, we got an opportunity for you for summer league. Um, you have a chance to, uh, show out, get some minutes, um, just come out and do what you do.

And then when I heard that, I was like, you can't ask for a better opportunity, man. So that's, that's what we're doing. Hey, congratulations.

Told you Smith is here with us on the Jr sport brief show. So what's next? What does the next week month? What's what's lined up for you?

Yeah. So we go to Detroit on July 4th. We spend some time out there, do some practices with the team, get to know everybody. Then we go into Vegas, summer league about two weeks. We're going to take it off. So that's the plan.

Now you're from down here in the South. What are you looking forward to about spending time? You know, Vegas time is going to snap. It's going to flash like that, but are you going to spend the summer out in the D what is the thought process right now?

I'm not looking too far ahead. I think after Vegas is back to work, just try to stay in the best shape as I can. I mean, a pro always is in shape, man. So, um, stay in the gym, stay ready. Uh, anything can happen. So just staying ready. Absolutely totally.

Smith is joining us here at the JR sport brief show. Has it kind of settled then that you've moved on? I mean, look, typically people move forward. You, you out of school now, man, you know, Mississippi States are the pistons.

Nobody goes backwards. Has it settled then this new place, this new level in your life? Oh yeah, for sure. It's not, it's not a school anymore, man. You got a lot of time in your hands when you, when you're out in the real world and it's just a matter of what you do with your time. Uh, I think that's where a lot of pros fall short. Um, they tend to, you know, uh, do things outside of the facility or do things that they're not accustomed to just because there's a lot of time on our hands, man. So it's, it's about time management.

What you do with your time, how you invest your time and how you invest your time with people. So when you ain't balling out or you're on the court, how are you spending your time? I know you talked about fishing and playing spade.

What else are you doing, man? Spades is my thing. Spades is my thing. Fishing my thing. I'm a big music guy as well.

Uh, I tend to listen to a lot of varieties of music. Um, I got a dog, his name Maui. He got me through a lot of hard times as well. So I spent a lot of time with him.

Okay. I can dig it now for people listening up in Detroit, maybe you're on the ticket. I told you they're going to Google you.

They're going to find out what messages you have for people in the D man. Oh yeah. Shout out to Detroit, man. I appreciate you guys for taking a chance on me. I'm coming and uh, I'm ready. I'm ready for the moment.

Is there anything that you're really looking forward to the most in Detroit? Period. You're a pro now, man. I'm not a pro. I professionally talk for a living.

I don't shoot no basketball. What are you looking forward to the most about the process? I think the biggest thing I'm looking forward to is going against the top competition. I want to, I want to sharpen my iron, man. I want to see my game against somebody else as good as me or as better than me.

Um, I want to see how I do against them. So I'm excited for those kinds of moments. I'm excited for those bright lights. I think I'm ready for those bright lights and um, I'm ready to be out there in Detroit, man. So I'm excited. This is cool. Listen, this is why the pistons, uh, gave you that contract doing 15 and almost 10 at the SCC. That ain't, that ain't nothing shabby.

Everybody ain't walking around and do that. Where can people follow you online and in your journey? Yeah.

People can follow my Instagram, Tolu Smith, uh, or Tolu, and then people can follow my, uh, Twitter at Tolu Smith one. Um, yeah, that's, that's pretty much it for me, man. Well, listen, I appreciate the time. Good luck. We going to catch you back when you're back in EA. Okay. Well, hopefully most of the time is up in Detroit. Have fun out in Vegas.

Okay. Thank you, man. Tolu Smith just signed to the Detroit pistons as he gets ready to hang out, head out to Detroit and in Vegas for the summer league. Make sure you go ahead and check him out in his story.

It's the JR sport reshow here with you on the infinity sports network. When we come back, speaking of journeys and contracts and all this stuff, Donovan Mitchell, he got himself one earlier today. We're going to talk about that. He decided to deliver a little bit of a message while you were rolling around in his car. We'll talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers on the other side of the break.