With the 37th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons selected guard Chaz Lanier from Tennessee. Lanier is a lights-out shooter who shot a scorching 39.5% from distance on over eight attempts per game for the Volunteers. This pick was widely praised and his playstyle drew comparisons to the Pistons’ own Malik Beasley, who nearly led the NBA in 3-point makes last season.
Lanier can immediately slot into a bench role on the wing for the PIstons and potentially even replace Tim Hardaway Jr if the Pistons elect not to re-sign him in free agency. He provides additional shooting and spacing for the Pistons’ playmakers and the team is hoping he can use his size (6’5” with a 6’9” wingspan) to contribute on defense as well.
Detroit Pistons draft: Chaz Lanier has one NBA-ready skill
Notably, the selection of Lanier is a significant departure from the Pistons’ draft approach in recent seasons. In the last 3 drafts, the Pistons’ most high-profile draft picks have been: Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and Ron Holland. All of these players were drafted in the lottery and all were chosen due to their superior athleticism. Unfortunately none of these players were known as good shooters prior to the draft and most of them have still not yet developed a solid jumper, although Ivey showed some signs of improved shooting in his abbreviated 2024-25 campaign.
I’m not saying that any of these previous picks were necessarily the wrong choice, and all of them were able to play significant roles in the Pistons’ remarkable turnaround last year. But drafting a similar type of player this year would certainly have been a mistake, especially with the limited talent pool available at pick 37.
The Pistons have a key season coming up and they are ready to make some real noise in the Eastern Conference. The objectively correct path to take with their draft selection was a guy who is ready to contribute right away and especially in ways that are complementary to their existing roster, which is exactly what they got in Chaz Lanier.
This is a further extension of Trajan Langdon’s conservative approach to this offseason and commitment to patiently building up the Pistons roster to compete. By drafting an older player (Lanier is already 23, the same age as Cade Cunningham) with NBA-ready skills rather than raw athleticism, the Pistons are set up to take another step forward in the coming season rather than wait for another youngster to develop.