The 2025 NBA Draft is approaching, with the Detroit Pistons possibly on the bench for Day 1.
The Pistons enter Round 1 on Wednesday, June 25, without a first-round pick this year, thanks to a trade made in the 2020 draft. But the team does have a second-round pick to make on Thursday, June 26.
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After a return to the playoffs and a hard-fought first-round exit against the New York Knicks, the Pistons are looking to build around franchise centerpiece Cade Cunningham. Additionally, team president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon is emphasizing “optionality” during the offseason, a period many NBA experts say will be especially active with transactions.
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It’s unclear whether the Pistons will execute a trade to jump up into the first round. Detroit’s only scheduled pick lands in the second round at No. 37 overall, and there’s not much consensus on what they will do with the pick.
Here’s a quick roundup on what NBA experts believe the Pistons will do with their 2025 draft pick:
ESPN: SG Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) shoots the ball against the Houston Cougars in the first half during the Midwest Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 30, 2025.
Lanier is a fifth-year senior who spent his final season with the Volunteers after four years at North Florida, and he made his final season count. He led Tennessee with 18 points per game as the Volunteers advanced to the Elite 8 for the second straight year, making the All-SEC team and becoming a first-team Wooden All-American.
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Lanier also recorded one of the highest standing vertical leaps and lane agility times among all players at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine, emphasizing an athleticism that could serve well at the next level. The Tennessee native, who worked out with the Pistons earlier this month, owns a career 40.2% 3-point percentage; he could bring the long-distance shooting that the Pistons are looking for, especially if they’re unable to re-sign Malik Beasley.
Feb 5, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) brings the ball up court against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images
Very few outlets write second-round mock drafts to begin with, possibly because NBA teams don’t seem to value second-round draft picks that highly. And the outlets that do write longer mock drafts often have disagreements about what teams will do with their second-round picks.
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But in this case, ESPN and The Athletic are in alignment.
One thing that Langdon said in his end-of-season press conference is that he didn’t know who the team’s second-leading scorer would be heading into the 2025-26 season. Considering Lanier’s prolific shooting at Tennessee, especially from the outside — he put up 8.2 3-point shots per game last season — Lanier could potentially fill that role very soon.
CBS Sports: SF Koby Brea, Kentucky
Nov 26, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks to guard Koby Brea (4) during the second half against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
CBS isn’t exactly agreeing with ESPN and The Athletic by predicting the Pistons will select Brea over Lanier, but the thought process is very similar, with Brea also being a prolific-shooting, fifth-year senior out of an SEC school.
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Brea didn’t heave shots as much as Lanier did, with 5.9 3-point attempts per game, but he led the SEC by making them at a 43.5% clip in 2024-25. Even more impressively, he led all D-1 players by shooting 49.8% on 3s the year before at Dayton, albeit with admittedly weaker competition from the Atlantic-10 contesting his shots.
NBC Sports: G Alijah Martin, Florida
Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin (15) reacts after a play against the Houston Cougars during the second half of the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Shooting guard? Check. Fifth-year senior? Check. SEC pedigree? Check.
Martin checks most of the boxes that players from other mock drafts do, with one big exception: A relatively pedestrian 35% 3-point percentage in his most recent season.
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However, he was the second-leading scorer for the national champion Gators, putting in 14.4 points per game over 38 games at Florida. If he can knock down long-distance shots at a more efficient rate in the NBA, he could slot in nicely in Detroit.
On3: PG John Tonje, Wisconsin
Wisconsin guard John Tonje (9) shoots a three point basket against Michigan State guard Jaden Akins (3) during the first half of Big Ten Tournament semifinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
Michigan State basketball fans might not like On3 picking the player responsible for knocking out the Spartans in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament.
Taking advantage of an extra season of eligibility from the coronavirus pandemic, Tonje spent six years developing in college. He had his best season by far with the Badgers in 2024-25, putting up nearly 20 points per game. His 3-point success wasn’t as splashy as those from Lanier and Brea, but he did put up nearly six per game at a 38.8% rate at Wisconsin.
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Tonje also brings a big frame from the guard position and showed an ability to score at all three levels. If a plug-in offense-minded guard is what the Pistons are looking for, Tonje could be an intriguing option.
How to watch 2025 NBA Draft first round
Date:Â Wednesday, June 25.
Time:Â 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 NBA mock draft roundup: Detroit Pistons No. 37 potential picks