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NBA Draft Prediction Suggests 5 Players To Watch For Pistons

When the Detroit Pistons go on the clock for round two, who are a few players to keep an eye on?
Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) drives to the basket Friday, March 28, 2025, during the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) drives to the basket Friday, March 28, 2025, during the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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When it comes to the NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons don’t have any major involvement in 2025. Once they clinched a spot in the NBA Playoffs, their first-round pick was set to go to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Heading into NBA Draft, the Pistons hold just the 37th overall pick. Barring any changes, the Pistons won’t go on the clock until Thursday.

Recently, HoopsHype made a list of predictions for the top-five potential picks for each team’s selection. For the Pistons’ 37th slot, they are projected to potentially look at three forwards, one center, and one shooting guard.

The top prospect is Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier, with his odds set at 30.6%.

Chaz Lanie
Mar 30, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; 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. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Lanier enters the NBA Draft after playing five seasons in the NCAA. Four of those runs were spent at North Florida. During Lanier’s final year at Tennessee, he started 38 games. The guard averaged 20 points on 51 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from three.

The second prospect is Yanic Niederhauser, who holds 15.3% odds to land with the Pistons at 37. Niederhauser spent two seasons in the MAC Conference with Northen Illinois. He went to Penn State for his third and final season. In 29 games, Niederhauser scored 13 points per game, shooing 61 percent from the field. He averaged six rebounds per game, and led the Big Ten Conference in blocks per game, posting 2.3 on average.

Johni Broome has been a popular link for the Pistons. The big man comes out of Auburn with 13.2% odds to land with the Pistons. In 168 NCAA games, Broome averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds. During the pre-draft process, Broome reportedly visited with the Pistons.

Adou Thiero and Alex Toohey are the two small forwards with the lowest odds on the list. Thiero (12.7%) enters the NBA coming out of Kansas. He posted averages of 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one block in 27 games.

As for Toohey, he enters the league out of Sydney. With 11.8% odds, Toohey is low, mainly due to the fact that he is projected to be selected higher. In this case, his highest-projected slot is at 35, with the Philadelphia 76ers.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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