The Maine Celtics have been on a roll. They’ve won 5 straight games and are slowly climbing up the Eastern Conference standings, while seeing standout performances from players like Amari Williams and Ron Harper Jr.
But the key to success for Phil Pressey’s squad has been that the standard of competition remains, regardless of who is available. On Wednesday night, in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, Maine was without Williams, Harper Jr, and fellow two-way
player Max Shulga.
And, early on, they seemed shorthanded; Maine trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, and seemed likely to snap a four-game win streak.
But, they ultimately outscored Wisconsin by 28 points the rest of the way en route to a 114-106 victory. And, most impressively, they did so with the help of one brand-new player making his Maine Celtics debut: Tosan Evbuomwan.
In 33 minutes, the former Princeton University standout tallied 21 points on 8-14 shooting, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block. Evbuomwan, who officially signed with the Maine Celtics earlier on Monday, didn’t miss a beat en route to a standout debut performance.
Alongside Evbuomwan, Kendall Brown led the way with 25 points on 9-13 FG, Jalen Bridges tallied 22 points on 8-16 FG, and Hayden Gray added 12 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals. The team effort propelled the Maine Celtics to a 6-4 record on the season (regular-season records restarted last month, after the G League’s Tip-Off Tournament took place in Orlando).
Tosan Evbuomwan joins the Maine Celtics after multiple G League stints
Evbuomwan was born and raised in England, where he learned the game of basketball before coming to the U.S. He went undrafted after a four-year career at Princeton University. In his senior year, he was named to the First Team All-Ivy League. He subsequently declared for the NBA Draft, and went undrafted in 2023.
The 24-year-old last played on a two-way contract with the New York Knicks. Before that, he spent time with the G League affiliate teams of the Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, and Brooklyn Nets.
Over the past three seasons, Evbuomwan has appeared in 40 G-League games, averaging 17.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He’s shot 50.2% from the field and 35.1% from three.
Now, he joins the Celtics organization. And, if his debut game is any indication, he could quickly become an impact player.
