Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier (2) during the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game against Houston at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sunday, March 30, 2025. Brianna Paciorka / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pistons Youngster Offers Valuable Advice to NBA Rookie Chaz Lanier

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 5:51 PM ET

There wouldn’t be any players in Ron Holland or Ausar Thompson’s position heading to the Detroit Pistons in the 2025 NBA Draft.

With no lottery pick this time around, the Pistons had to wait a while before making their selection. Although they had a protected pick, making the playoffs forced the Pistons to hand the selection over to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2025.

The Pistons worked the phones to see if there was a potential trade-in available on night one. Detroit’s President of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon, kicked around the idea. Once he realized the cost of what it would take, Detroit decided to stick to the original plan: keep the second-rounder and simply make the pick.

“There were some different things we looked at to get into the first round—late in the first round—the asks were pretty high,” Langdon told reporters on Thursday. “I think higher than any in the past.”

For the second year in a row, the Pistons were going on the clock at pick No. 37 on day two. This year, they selected Chaz Lanier out of Tennessee. He’s the follow-up pick to the forward, Bobi Klintman.

Leading up to the second-round pick, the Pistons’ social media team asked Klintman for his future advice to the incoming rookie. They would later reveal that message.

Advice from one 37th pick to another pic.twitter.com/2Zj8HIuD7k
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) June 27, 2025

“I would say be ready to get to work ‘cause it’s not gonna be easy,” Klintman responded. “Embrace the whole process and have as much fun with it as possible and bring your best everyday! Let’s get to work.”

Last season, the Pistons added Klintman, who took multiple routes to the NBA. In 2022, he attended Wake Forest for a 33-game stretch. In an average of 20 minutes of action per game, Klintman averaged five points and five rebounds, while shooting 41 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep.

After one year in the NCAA, Klintman joined Cairns Taipans of the NBL in Australia. With the Next Stars program, Klintman played in 23 games, averaging 10 points and five rebounds, shooting 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.

Although Klintman spent more time in the NBA G League during his rookie season with the Pistons, he was around the team long enough to begin figuring out the ins and outs of NBA life. Klintman could be a good guide for Lanier, who is taking on his NBA journey soon enough.