The Detroit Pistons have called up Walker D. Russell Jr. from the D-League in time for Friday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Russell has been playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and will be making his first appearance on an NBA roster.

“I'm real happy for him,” Mad Ants coach Steve Gansey told the News-Sentinel. “Walker's lived with me the past two summers and just worked hard wanting to get better, sacrificing good money overseas. … Walker's a realistic guy. He knows what he's supposed to do. He knows if he needs to be playing better, and he does it.”