The Detroit News
| The Detroit News
National analysts grade the Pistons for their pick of Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier in the NBA Draft on Thursday night:
▶ Kevin Pelton, ESPN: “Much like fellow former Tennessee star Dalton Knecht, Lanier bloomed late, going from 4.7 points at North Florida in 2022-23 to averaging 18 points in the SEC last season. He’s a big-time shooter (40% career on 3s) with size who gives the Pistons some insurance if they can’t re-sign free agents Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.” Grade: B
▶ Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo! Sports: “Perfect pick for Detroit. Wanna know why? Just look at the comparison for Lanier: Malik Beasley. Much like Beasley, Lanier is a knockdown shooter with shot-making creativity. Without great size or playmaking at his age, he’s a second-rounder for good reason. But the Pistons needed more shooting and now they got it.” Grade: A-plus
▶ Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: “Detroit needed to add scoring to its backcourt to surround Cade Cunningham and it accomplished that goal here in Lanier, who was an All-American last season at Tennessee and is a career 40.2% 3-point shooter. Lanier’s tough-minded play style and ability to score in bunches should be a nice fit here.” Grade: B
▶ Andy Bailey, Bleacher Report: “Lanier belongs in any discussion regarding this draft’s best shooter. … There isn’t much else in his game worth mentioning, though, and since he’s an older prospect, that may always be the case. He’s also sized like a combo guard (6-4, 206) but he doesn’t have the handles, vision or touch to execute on-ball responsibilities. For the Pistons, he won’t really need to. They already have an All-NBA creator in Cade Cunningham. And with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley entering free agency, looking for shooting made sense in this spot.” Grade: B-plus
▶ John Hollinger, The Athletic: “A lot of people liked Lanier in this draft as a second-rounder; I wasn’t one of them. He can shoot it, though, and in that respect it’s the Pistons once again leaning into the floor spacing that opened up the game for Cade Cunningham last season. Whether Lanier has enough juice in the rest of his game to get his shooting on the floor remains an open question, but he landed in about the best possible spot.” (No grade)
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