Former Tennessee stars Tobias Harris and Chaz Lanier shared the court during the Pistons’ 128-112 preseason-opening win over the Grizzlies on Monday night in Memphis.
Harris played 14 minutes as a starter for Detroit while Lanier saw 18 minutes off the bench in his NBA debut.
Lanier’s rookie debut couldn’t have gone much better. He made his mark on the stat sheet on Monday night with 11 points on 66% shooting. The majority of Lanier’s takes and makes came from behind the three-point line, going 3-of-5 from the perimeter during the game. He also added in three total rebounds and one ferocious block at the rim during the fourth quarter.
Rook bringing some defense 😤#DetroitBasketball | @Swaggychaz pic.twitter.com/f8sJHyPvE7
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) October 7, 2025
More From RTI: Pistons Coach Shares High Praise for VFL Chaz Lanier
Lanier did go 0-for-2 from the free-throw line, but it’s not all too concerning. Perhaps it was just first-game jitters.
Overall, Lanier finished the game with a +11 margin, which was good for the fourth-highest off the Pistons bench and the fifth-highest on the Detroit roster overall. Lanier was barely topped by fellow Tennessee Basketball alumnus Tobias Harris, who finished the game with a +12 margin.
Harris played 14 minutes as a starter and recorded 13 points in the process. He scored on five of his seven attempts from the floor, including going 1-of-2 from the three-point line. Harris also put up four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and made 2-of-3 free-throw attempts.
The former Vol also dropped down a filthy one-handed slam early in the game:
Throw it down unc‼️ pic.twitter.com/27bGU58OCl
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) October 7, 2025
“It’s just a blessing being able to come out here, play with the guys,” Lanier said during the postgame interview. “I just wanted to come out here and use the talents that God gave me. It’s just a blessing to be out here.”
Lanier, a Nashville native, heard the Tennessee Volunteers fans in the crowd during his NBA preseason debut on Monday.
“It was just super fun to be out there and go out there and have fun,” Lanier said. “I heard a lot of Volunteer fans out there in the crowd. So shoutout to them.”
“I heard a lot of Volunteer fans out there in the crowd. So, shoutout to them.”
-Chaz Lanier (11 points) after making his NBA preseason debut back in the Volunteer State against the Memphis Grizzlies https://t.co/v2bEiW4bvz
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) October 7, 2025
