Former Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier is shooting the lights out for the Detroit Pistons this week in the Summer League. He was a bit slow to get going in his first game, but has erupted for 49 points in his last two games combined.
In his Summer League opener against the 76ers, Lanier had 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, but struggled to get his three-point rhythm with just 1-of-6 from the perimeter. He bounced back in the Pistons’ next game against the Cavaliers with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 7-of-12 from the perimeter.
His game hit a fever pitch on Monday against the Knicks, when he scored 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting with an astounding 8-of-12 mark from three-point range.
Overall, in three games from Las Vegas, Lanier is averaging 31.6 minutes, 20.3 points, two rebounds, two assists, and 1.6 turnovers per contest. He’s also shooting the ball at 51.2% from the floor and 53.3% from three-point range.
In his last two games alone, Lanier is averaging 24.5 points while going 56.6% from the floor and 58.3% from three-point land.
Six threes in the first half 🔥 https://t.co/qVbeDkYsdI pic.twitter.com/QMimzBKhyZ
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) July 13, 2026
17 POINTS. 5 THREES. 7 MINUTES.
Chaz Lanier is in the zone. 👌 https://t.co/RHCEZBG8LK pic.twitter.com/QF036v6BtU
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) July 12, 2026
More From RTI: Tennessee Vols in the NBA Summer League: Results and Stats – July 13
This is Lanier’s second time in the NBA Summer League after being drafted by the Pistons in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
The former Vol played in 34 games with Detroit during his rookie season and averaged 2.4 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. He only got on the court for an average of 7.7 minutes per appearance, though, so it was difficult to get anything in rhythm.
That being said, Lanier did spend two games with Detroit’s G-League team and went nuclear in his quick stint. He averaged 33.5 PPG in 36.2 MPG, shooting 63.9% from the floor and 58.3% from three-point range. In his debut G-League game last year, he dropped 40 points with nine made threes.
During his lone year at Tennessee, we saw a few occasions where Lanier caught heat. The Baylor Game in the Baha Mar tournament and the Texas A&M game in College Station specifically stand out.
Detroit’s young and talented rotation made it tough for Lanier to crack any meaningful on-court time as a rookie, but he’s shown his uncanny ability to shoot the three during his time in the G-League and the Summer League. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before he gets a real shot with the Pistons and brings some of that scoring to a regular season NBA court.
Stay tuned to RTI for more daily Tennessee Basketball/NBA Summer League coverage.
