The Detroit Pistons will look to add shooting any way they can, which is why Tyrese Proctor from Duke is an option for them with the 37th pick in the NBA Draft.
He was Detroit's selection in the most recent Mock Draft from Bleacher Report, which has their predictions with the 2025 NBA Draft just two weeks away.
Proctor is a 6-foor-4 shooting guard who is mostly known for his scoring, but he’s also shown some playmaking (3.7 assists per game in his sophomore season) as well as the ability to get his own shot.
Proctor just completed his junior season at Duke, where he averaged 12.4 points, 2.2 assists and three rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from long range on 5.8 attempts per game.
He made 16 from long range in the Final Four, so he has big game experience and has stepped up. He’s already 21 years old, so may be able to help a team sooner rather than later, but like all older prospects, has a lower ceiling, which is why he's projected in the 2nd round.
The Pistons have worked out other shooters, so the Proctor prediction does make sense, particularly with what the Pistons are up against.
The Detroit Pistons need shooters
Both Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. are free agents this offseason and there is no certainty that they’ll be back.
Of the two, the Pistons are more likely to keep Beasley, who has expressed an interest to stay and just had the best season of his career with an up-and-coming young team with which he has a leadership role that he seems to enjoy.
Beasley was a big part of the Pistons’ success as well as the overall vibe around the team, and he sets an example by being the first one in practice every day. The Pistons have multiple paths to bringing him back and will likely make it a priority.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is less of a certainty giving the financial challenges, so the Pistons could look to add another young shooter or two to help soften that loss. The PIstons will also hope for a bounce-back year from Simone Fontecchio, but even with that, shooting will be a dire need.
The Pistons only had two shooters above 40 percent from 3-point range last season, Beasley and Jaden Ivey, the latter of whom missed most of the season.
It’s not as if they would expect a 2nd-round pick to immediately come in and provide consistent 3-point shooting, but in a league where long-range shooting is increasingly more valuable, it’s always good to have a constant flow of shooters in the pipeline.
Three-point shooting off the bench will always be valuable, so if Proctor’s scoring prowess translates to the NBA, he’ll be a guy who has a long career making shots.