Former Tennessee sharpshooter Chaz Lanier put up a career-high nine points for the Detroit Pistons in a 120-112 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night in Georgia. Lanier shot 3-of-7 in the game with all seven attempts coming from behind the three-point arc, knocking down his first three shots of the game in the second quarter.
Lanier hit a 26-footer at the 10:26 mark, a 25-footer at the 9:54 mark, and a 25-footer at the 6:51 mark.
The former Vol also added two rebounds in his 11 minutes of action on the court.
While it wasn’t necessarily a breakout game with insane shooting numbers, it was a big step in the right direction for the Nashville native. It was the first time this season that he’s knocked down more than two three-pointers in the game.
After the contest, the Pistons’ players rewarded Lanier by giving him the team WWE belt.
“Ain’t too much to say. Good dub after the back-to-back,” Lanier said. “Come in here on the road, get a win… Shoot, let’s keep it going, man!”
The video was posted to social media by the Pistons’ official account.
Passing the belt to the rook 👏 pic.twitter.com/L4cXr0FSAK
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 19, 2025
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The Pistons have won 11 straight games, and Lanier has played in seven of those. He’s averaging 3.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 13.7 minutes on the court.
The 37th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Lanier didn’t go to a situation that was rebuilding. Instead, he went to a true championship contender. It’s no surprise to see that Lanier is still getting his feet wet and fighting for minutes, but he has played a good bit with the Pistons battling some injuries here early in the season. Lanier will continue to find his role off the bench as he gets more experience at the professional level.
Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke highly of the former Tennessee guard before the season started.
“He’s taken it all in,” Bickerstaff said during the preseason. “I think he’s learned on the fly quickly. You watch his natural instincts offensively, and he’s unbelievable at reading the game. Like, he knows spacing on the floor, he knows when to cut. Like I’ve told our staff, there’s going to come a point in time in his career where he has 30 points and he’s only dribbled the ball four times. He’s got that type of off-ball feel and awareness and ability to shoot the ball.”
