Pistons head coach Monty Williams confirmed last week that Evbuomwan isn't eligible to play again this season, as the rookie forward has already reached the limit of games in which he can be active as a two-way player, Motown Lowdown reports.
Two-way players prior to the start of the season are eligible to be active for up to 50 of a team's 82 regular-season games at the NBA level, but the number of active games becomes prorated if a player is signed to a two-way deal in-season. After initially joining Detroit on a 10-day deal, Evbuomwan didn't sign his two-way deal with the Pistons until Feb. 23, after which he appeared in 10 of Detroit's subsequent 22 games while averaging 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.8 three-pointers in 23.8 minutes per game. He's proceeded to sit out each of Detroit's last four games with a "G League assignment" designation on the official injury report, even though the Pistons' affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, had its season end March 29. Evbuomwan will remain out for Sunday's season finale in San Antonio, but he'll remain on Detroit's books through the 2024-25 campaign, since the two-way deal he signed in February was a two-year contract.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Not available Tuesday
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Detroit assigned Evbuomwan to the G League Motor City Cruise on Tuesday.
Though Motor City's season is over, Evbuomwan is approaching the maximum total of active games in which he's eligible to play for the Pistons as a two-way player, so he'll end up sitting a second consecutive game. The Pistons haven't revealed how close Evbuomwan may be to reaching his total active games limit, so he could continue to miss time over the final three games of the season. His absence Tuesday should allow Chimezie Metu to make another start at forward after Metu logged a season-high 43 minutes in Saturday's 113-103 loss to the Nets.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Won't play Saturday
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Evbuomwan won't play Saturday against the Nets, with the Pistons listing him as being on G League assignment.
The Pistons' G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, have already played their last game of the season, so Evbuomwan's absence Saturday is likely a result of him nearing his total of active games in which he's eligible to play with Detroit as a two-way player. The Pistons haven't revealed how close Evbuomwan may be to reaching his total, so he could have more absences in his future over Detroit's final four games of the season. Evbuomwan had played in each of Detroit's last 10 games, averaging 8.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.9 three-pointers in 27.6 minutes per contest.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Back in starting lineup
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Evbuomwan will start Monday's game against New York.
Evbuomwan is averaging 10.7 points and 6.3 rebounds on 45.8 percent shooting in 30.0 minutes across his last three games. Chimezie Metu heads to the bench Monday.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Headed to bench
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Evbuomwan will come off the bench for Sunday's game against the Pelicans, Mike Curtis of The Detroit News reports.
Evbuomwan had started Detroit's last two contests, averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. He'll cede his spot on the top unit to Chimezie Metu, though Evbuomwan may not be in line for a dramatic reduction in minutes with all of Cade Cunningham (ankle), Jalen Duren (back), Simone Fontecchio (toe), Taj Gibson (hamstring), Quentin Grimes (knee), Isaiah Stewart (hamstring), Ausar Thompson (illness) and Stanley Umude (ankle) sitting out for Detroit.
Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Career-best effort versus Boston
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Evbuomwan totaled 14 points (4-9 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-6 FT), eight rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes during Friday's 129-102 loss to the Celtics.
Making his second straight start for the shorthanded Pistons, Evbuomwan set a career high in points while posting his best rebound total since he ripped down 12 boards for the Grizzlies back on Feb. 4, coincidentally also against the Celtics. The 23-year-old undrafted rookie could see a hefty workload down the stretch for Detroit with Isaiah Stewart (hamstring) and Ausar Thompson (illness) both out for the rest of the season and Simone Fontecchio (toe) also banged up.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Reaches double figures in start
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Evbuomwan notched 11 points (4-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-4 FT) and four rebounds over 30 minutes in Wednesday's 122-103 loss to Indiana.
Evbuomwan got his first start of the 2023-24 NBA season Wednesday in place of Isaiah Stewart, who was inactive with a hamstring injury. Evbuomwan ended as one of four Pistons with a double-digit point mark while adding a quartet of rebounds over a season-high minute total. Evbuomwan matched his season high in scoring, a mark he also tallied Monday against Boston.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Starting Wednesday
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Evbuomwan will move into the starting unit for Wednesday's matchup with the Pacers, Keith Langlois of the Pistons' official site reports.
Evbuomwan is replacing Isaiah Stewart (hamstring) in the starting lineup Wednesday evening, and with Stewart done for the season, Evbuomwan could be starting the rest of the way. He put up 11 points, two triples, two boards, one steal and a turnover in 18 minutes off the bench in his previous outing, so he's someone to consider as a speculative add in deep leagues.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Supplies 11 points
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Evbuomwan had 11 points (4-5 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds and one steal in 18 minutes during Monday's 119-94 loss to Boston.
Evbuomwan capitalized on his shot attempts Monday, marking a continuation of the solid 36.6 percent three-point clip he has posted across 34 G League appearances this season. That being said, Ausar Thompson (illness), Simone Fontecchio (toe), Quentin Grimes (knee) and Cade Cunningham (knee) were all inactive Monday, so Evbuomwan's workload can be perceived as underwhelming in the context of so much vacated usage.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Signs two-way deal with Detroit
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Evbuomwan agreed to a two-way contract with the Pistons on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Evbuomwan signed a 10-day contract with Detroit shortly before the All-Star break, and though that deal expired Thursday, he'll remain with the team on a contract that allows him to easily move between the G League and parent club. He tallied five points, two rebounds and one steal in eight minutes during his Pistons debut against the Suns on Feb. 14.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Joins Detroit on 10-day pact
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Evbuomwan agreed Sunday with the Pistons on a 10-day deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Evbuomwan's 10-day contract with the Grizzlies came to an end Friday, but he didn't take long to catch on with another NBA club on a new deal. The Pistons are already intimately familiar with Evbuomwan, an undrafted rookie out of Princeton who attended training camp with the club and who had been playing for their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, prior to his stint with the Grizzlies. As he begins his tenure with the Pistons, Evbuomwan will likely find himself outside of the rotation after he struggled to distinguish himself during his time with Memphis. Over his four appearances for the Grizzlies, Evbuomwan shot 26.7 percent from the field while averaging 2.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18.5 minutes.
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Tosan Evbuomwan: Deal with Memphis expires
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Evbuomwan became a free agent Friday after his 10-day hardship contract with the Grizzlies expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
Unless the NBA grants the Grizzlies another hardship exception as the team battles myriad injury issues, Evbuomwan will likely rejoin the G League's Motor City Cruise, with whom he was playing before Memphis signed him to a 10-day deal Jan. 30. The undrafted rookie forward out of Princeton appeared in four games over the course of his 10-day pact, averaging 2.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18.5 minutes while shooting just 26.7 percent from the field.
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Grizzlies' Tosan Evbuomwan: Grabs 12 boards in blowout loss
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Evbuomwan had three points (1-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt), 12 rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes during Sunday's 131-91 loss to the Celtics.
Evbuomwan, who's operating under a 10-day deal, appeared in a second straight game for the injury-depleted Grizzlies and saw an expanded role during the blowout loss. The 6-foot-7 forward has made just one shot in each of his first two NBA appearances, and surprisingly, they were both three-pointers. Despite sinking a pair of threes, Evbuomwan has struggled offensively thus far, but he made his presence felt on the boards, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds versus Boston. If Jaren Jackson (hip), Santi Aldama (lower body) and/or Xavier Tillman (knee) return to full strength soon, Evbuomwan will likely be pushed out of the rotation.
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Grizzlies' Tosan Evbuomwan: Inks 10-day deal with Memphis
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The Grizzlies signed Evbuomwan to a 10-day contract Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Grizzlies have been shorthanded all season, but their injury report has hit new lengths recently. Given the injuries, Memphis has opted to sign a trio of forwards to 10-day deals. Matthew Hurt made his NBA debut Monday versus the Kings, posting 10 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes, while Evbuomwan and Trey Jemison inked deals Tuesday. Evbuomwan and Jemison's first chance to play for Memphis will come Thursday versus Cleveland. Evbuomwan has yet to appear in a regular-season NBA game, but he's been a standout for the G League's Motor City Cruise, averaging 15 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
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Tosan Evbuomwan: Let go by Pistons
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Evbuomwan was waived by Detroit on Saturday, Mike Curtis of The Detroit News reports.
Evbuomwan was brought in on an Exhibit 10 contract back in June, and while he didn't end up cracking the NBA roster, Detroit now owns his G League rights. He'll likely report to the Motor City Cruise, assuming he passes through waivers.
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Pistons' Tosan Evbuomwan: Lands with Detroit
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Evbuomwan signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pistons on Friday, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com reports.
Evbuomwan spent three collegiate seasons at Princeton and served exclusively as a starter during his final season with the Tigers, averaging 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 31.4 minutes per game. He'll compete for a two-way contract ahead of the regular season after going undrafted Thursday.
