Chaz Lanier Made 15 Threes in Two Days. The Pistons Might Have Something.

Chaz Lanier spent most of last season on the end of Detroit’s bench or in the G League. Two games in Las Vegas just made that look like a mistake.

The second-year guard dropped 24 points on the Knicks Monday, even though the Pistons lost 86-75 at Cox Pavilion. The box score tells the story: 8-for-13 from the field, 8-for-12 from three. Every single make came from beyond the arc. He missed his last two attempts, which dropped his 3-point percentage to 66.7, but by then the damage was done.

Back-to-back explosions

This wasn’t a one-off. The night before, Lanier put up 25 points in a 103-94 win over Cleveland, hitting 7 of 12 from deep. After starting Summer League 1-for-6 from three, he’s now hit 15 triples in his last two games. That’s the kind of heat check that makes you wonder what Detroit has been sitting on.

The NBA’s official X account even shouted him out during the third quarter. “8 3-POINTERS FOR CHAZ LANIER. He has 24 PTS on 80 3P% for the game!” They don’t do that for just anyone.

How he got here

The Pistons took Lanier with the 37th pick in the 2025 draft after he won the Jerry West Award at Tennessee. As a rookie he averaged 2.4 points in 34 NBA appearances, but with the Motor City Cruise in the G League he put up 16.9 a night — including 40 in his debut. The shot was always the selling point. He’s just starting to prove it translates.

Through three Summer League games, Lanier is averaging 20.3 points on 16-for-30 from three. He’s generating his offense through movement, spotting up, pushing in transition. It’s not just catch-and-shoot. He reads the defense, relocates, fires with confidence.

Summer League numbers come with a disclaimer every year. It’s not the regular season. The rotations are looser, the defense is worse, and guys are playing for contracts. Still, there’s a difference between looking good and looking this good. Lanier is showing a skill — elite shooting — that Detroit’s guard rotation doesn’t have a ton of.

If he carries this into training camp, the Pistons might not have to go outside the organization to find a bench shooter. They might already have one.