Every team in the NBA needs 3-point shooting. That’s especially true for the Charlotte Hornets, who finished the 2024-25 season 28th in 3-point shooting percentage despite having the NBA’s league leader in 3-point percentage on the team. The shooting woes are especially egregious on the bench, and the second round could be a good place to try to address that concern.
Chaz Lanier developed into a knockdown shooter over his five year college career. His shooting profile is enticing in its own right, but a standout showing at the combine makes him even more appealing as a prospect, even if the measured athleticism didn’t always manifest itself in game.
Measurements
Height: 6’3.75″
Wingspan: 6’9″
Standing reach: 8’5″
Weight: 205.8 pounds
Vertical: 33″ no step, 39″ max
Strengths
Jump shooting, athletic potential, role clarity
Chaz Lanier is going to be drafting for his shooting. He was one of the most prolific outside shooters in college basketball last season, and that skill should immediately translate to the NBA. He has effortless, deep range and the ability to get his shot off quick. His release point is a little low (it somewhat resembles Brandon Miller’s form), but he’s quick enough from catch to release for it to not matter too much. He set the Tennessee record with 123 made threes last season.
why not
here's every single one of Chaz Lanier's record-setting 123 threes last season pic.twitter.com/k5i5L8OBun
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) April 10, 2025
He showcased a bit of shot making ability off the dribble. He probably won’t be expected to that at the NBA level except in late shot clock situations, but it does show the kind of shot making talent he has.
He complements the shooting touch with savvy off ball movement. He has a good feel for finding space on the perimeter and making himself available for kickouts from driving teammates.
He tested off the charts at the combine, perhaps surprisingly so. Despite the impressive physical tools, he didn’t have a whole lot of wow plays in college. It shows up a bit more when he has space like on the fast break or with an open driving lane. While it didn’t translate to much at the college level, there might be something that can be tapped into at the NBA level.
While Lanier’s game doesn’t have a lot of breadth, he does have a very clear and important role. He profiles as a 3-point shooting specialist off the bench, and every team is looking for players of that archetype, especially if they can be had on a second round pick rookie contract.
Question Marks
Defense, lack of versatility
While Lanier’s shooting alone is good enough to get him drafted, there isn’t much else about his game that even looks average by NBA standards. Despite his impressive physical profile both in terms of stature and athleticism, he was never an impact defender in college and was probably even more of a minus at that end. He played most of last season as a 23 year old and still managed just 1.0 steal per 36 minutes and five blocks for the entire season. He isn’t very active off the ball and isn’t disruptive on it.
On offense, Lanier is very one dimensional. He has a heavy handle that drastically slows him down. He struggles to attack with more than one or two dribbles, which forces him into a lot of tough jumpers if he tries to score in isolation. He rarely got to the rim at Tennessee, so he can’t be expected to do that at the next level. He had very low assist and free throw rates, which is not a great sign for a player playing his fifth year of college basketball.
Overall Outlook
Lanier has a lot of holes to his game that can be off putting, but he has one skill that can make up for all other sins when you’re evaluating a player as a possible bench piece–shooting. He has the shot making talent to immediately fill a role as a 3-point shooter for 10-15 minutes off the bench if he can elevate the rest of his game to at least passable levels. “Guy who can shoot threes and do nothing else” has become a very common archetype for bench players around the league, and the Hornets need a guy or two like that. On the one end, you have the Sam Hausers and Isaiah Joes who add that 3-point spice off the bench further down in the rotation. At his absolute ceiling, you could get a guy like Malik Beasley who doesn’t do much other than shoot threes but does it so well at such a high volume that he can be a very dangerous sixth man.