The Detroit Pistons selected Chaz Lanier, who made the most three-pointers in a single season in program history for the Tennessee Volunteers last season, with the 37th overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Lanier was spotlighted by our own Ryan Caldwell in his second-round preview. Here is what he wrote:
Lanier is a top shooting prospect in this year’s draft and followed in Dalton Knecht’s footsteps as a Tennessee transfer to absolutely light it up from beyond the arc. This season, Chaz averaged 18 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 43% from the floor and 39.5% from three on 8.2 attempts per game. The six-foot-five guard has good length with a six-foot-nine wingspan and he also tested very well in lane agility drills as well as for max vertical. This length and athleticism should aid him in being able to hold up on the defensive end of the court where he will need to improve at the next level.
Lanier, standing 6-foot-3.75 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, spent his first four seasons with North Florida before transferring to Tennessee. With the Vols, he averaged 18 points, including averaging more than three made threes per game.
It is yet more evidence that Pistons president Trajan Langdon is locked into surrounding star Cade Cunningham with as many complementary shooting role players as he can. Lanier is also pegged as a true movement shooter, making 36% of his threes off the dribble last season.
He’s not projected to be anything more than a shooter, however. He’s got athletic and defensive limitations, and will not really be a complementary ball handler. Think of him as a bigger, stronger Marcus Sasser.