Why a Crosstown Rival Could Unlock Tosan Evbuomwan’s Full Potential

In some ways, Tosan Evbuomwan was the Brooklyn Nets' version of Josh Hart last season. Both players are able to facilitate from the wing, have great rebounding skills for their size and served as their respective teams' "glue guy" when on the floor.

Hart is one of the most valued role players in the entire league thanks to his growth since joining the New York Knicks. Evbuomwan, however, was just waived by Brooklyn.

Given their similarities, now that Evbuomwan is available, could the Knicks potentially look at adding a player with alike skillsets, allowing said player to get "revenge" on his former squad?

While there hasn't been any indication that New York—or any other franchise, for that matter—is interested in Evbuomwan, but what organization isn't always in the market for a scrappy, high-effort, young forward?

First-year head coach Mike Brown may not run as short of a rotation as Tom Thibodeau did, but having plenty of wing depth in case of injury is crucial to any team hopeful of making a run deep into the playoffs. Would Evbuomwan get heavy minutes off the bat? Likely not, especially with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby confirmed to be in the Knicks' plans long-term despite some offseason noise at the beginning of summer. The starting three and four spots (or two and three, depending on what positions you classify the duo as) are set.

But on the bench, the wings get thin—quickly. MarJon Beauchamp won't fit New York's scheme the way Evbuomwan would. He's not nearly as versatile and doesn't quite emit the toughness needed to succeed in the Big Apple. Outside of Beauchamp, the majority of the Knicks' bench is made up of guards and bigs. Delon Wright offers some positional flexibility, but not anywhere close to the versatility Evbuomwan would bring. Tyler Kolek could play either guard spot but can't move to the three, and Precious Achiuwa and Guerschon Yabusele are better fit at the four or five.

Based on their current roster alone, Evbuomwan would be a solid addition. And if he's able to learn a thing or two playing behind Bridges and Anunoby, he could take his defensive skills to another level.

This way, Brown is able to abandon Thobodeau's ways of the past, knowing that he has a guy like Evbuomwan who can at least attempt to replicate one of New York's three key players whenever they may need a break.

Nets fans would probably hate to see it, but from the Knicks' standpoint, giving Evbuomwan a training camp invite actually makes a lot of sense.