The Index · Live

Tolu Smith Detroit Pistons · #35

Forward · 6'11", 250 lb · Bay Saint Louis, MS · Age 26 · 2nd season

Tolu Smith is a forward for the Detroit Pistons who has played 16 games over 2 seasons, averaging 3.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 2025-26.

Detroit Pistons roster More Forwards

MVP race · #342Forward rank · #138Balladex Impact · 50

⚖ Quick compare

Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex

◆ Rated

Detroit Pistons · #35 · Forward

Tolu Smith

Season avg3.7 pts · 3.3 reb · 0.9 ast · .500 fg

Career avg4.3 pts · 3.6 reb · 0.8 ast · .510 fg

Live win probabilitySeason

No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.

Tonight's projectionmodel

3.7pts

3.3reb

0.9ast

LADDER#342 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXTolu Smith · Detroit PistonsLADDER#342 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXTolu Smith · Detroit Pistons

Scouting report

Tolu Smith — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.

C-

Forward · Rotation piece · Impact 50

Tolu Smith is a forward for the Detroit Pistons who has played 16 games over 2 seasons, averaging 3.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 2025-26.

C-

Offense

C-

Defense

C-

Feel / IQ

C-

Playmaking

Below average creator

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C-

Scoring

Below average scorer

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C-

Rebounding

Below average on the glass

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C-

3PT / spacing

Below average spacing

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C-

Perimeter D

Below average on the perimeter

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C-

Paint / rim D

Below average at the rim

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C-

Clutch

Below average late

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C-

Athleticism

Below average tools

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C-

Basketball IQ

Reads the game

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Durability

Availability

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Act II

Where Tolu Smith stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets▬

43%

Giannis Antetokounmpo Miami Heat▬

23%

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Oklahoma City Thunder▬

19%

Luka Doncic Los Angeles Lakers▬

Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers▬

✦ Balladex Consensus: #392 of 627 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

50Impact index

19Star score

Career scoring average4.3 ppg

Seasons in the index2

Accolades on file0

Stat explorer

Tolu Smith — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

C-

Scoring

3.7 PPG

drill in ↓

C-

Playmaking

0.9 APG

drill in ↓

C-

Rebounding

3.3 RPG

drill in ↓

C-

Shooting

.000 3P%

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Tolu Smith

Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2026-27 45% confidence

3.0

pts

-0.1–6.1

2.9

reb

1.4–4.4

0.9

ast

-0.3–2.1

8.0

min

proj

health

.556

fg%

~base

.000

3p%

~base

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 2-season history below.

What moves the points line vs last season

Last season 3.7 → projected 3.0 PPG

Minutes / role

-0.4

Development (his trend)

-0.4

Age curve

+0.0

Live context

+0.1

Net vs last season-0.7 PPG

Everything it reads

📊

2 seasons of per-minute rates

every box line, minutes-normalized

real

⚖

Recency × games-played weight

recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Weighted least-squares trend

his own trajectory, read season over season

+dev

🕰

Per-stat aging curves

age 26 — applied per stat

curve

🔌

Live role context

usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present

+ctx

🏥

Durability signal

GP last 3: 1 / 15 → games & confidence

health

The real history it trains onsource: Basketball-Reference · verified

Tolu Smith career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FG%	3P%
2024-25	1	22.0	14.0	8.0	0.0	.667	.000
2025-26	15	9.1	3.7	3.3	0.9	.500	.000
Career	16	9.9	4.3	3.6	0.8

Source: Basketball-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers Tonight's projection, EraLab, and the role simulator — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = MVP / Championship season · hover any bar. Real per-game data; per-36 & totals derived.

EraLab · the stat time machinenovel

Re-express a season in today's pace-and-space.

—raw PPG

→

—in 2026 pace

why

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Scoring map · clickable zonesShotChart

Team-tinted. Modeled where tracking data is absent.

Role simulatorpowered by GM engine

Change the roster around him — his projection updates live.

If a key teammate misses 20 games →

Projected line shifts to — usage , assists rise as primary initiator. Title odds . Illustrative.

Context

Are the Detroit Pistons built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

65–17proj record

#1conf seed

+9.2net rtg

117.7off rtg

108.5def rtg

99%playoff odds

Roster delta · what changed

Aggressive hedge & help — Hedges hard on ball screens and rotates aggressive help from the weak side. Core trending improving. Defensive anchors: Ausar Thompson, Javonte Green.

How his role moves

Projected 65–17, 1st in the East. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

50 of 99

Rotation piece tier.

Rarity

◆ Rated

Collectible tier.

Résumé

0 accolades

Career honors on file.

Act IV

The Ballad of Tolu Smith

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

2000-07-26

The beginning

Tolu Smith is a forward for the Detroit Pistons.

true

Tolu Smith is a forward for the Detroit Pistons.

Chapter

He has played 16 games over 2 seasons (2024-26), averaging 9.9 minutes a night. The season-by-season table below carries every per-game figure, each one reconciled against ESPN.

Chapter

In 2025-26 he played 15 games, averaging 3.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 9.1 minutes.

Where things stand

Where Smith goes from here.

▶

Smith's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ Highlights landing soon

Off the court

Measurables ESPN

Active

Height: 6' 11"
Weight: 250 lbs
College: Mississippi State
Experience: 3rd Season
Born: Bay Saint Louis, MS
Age: 26
Jersey: #35

Beyond the game

Tolu Smith is from Bay Saint Louis, MS, born 2000-07-26, listed at 6'11" and 250 lb. He has 3 seasons of NBA service. This background is assembled from league records; the colour that fills a page like this comes later, from a human.

The person

A forward on 9.9 career minutes a night, read from the box score rather than the eye test.

Bench depth9.1 minutes a night; situational.

Floor spacerShooting 0.0% from three.

Verified profiles & sources

ESPN

FAQ

Tolu Smith — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Tolu Smith, answered.

What position does Tolu Smith play?

Tolu Smith is a forward for the Detroit Pistons.

How many NBA games has Tolu Smith played?

16 regular-season games over 2 seasons, averaging 9.9 minutes.

How many NBA seasons has Tolu Smith played?

2 seasons (2024-26).

How tall is Tolu Smith?

6'11", 250 lb

Tolu Smith career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.