Pistons Rookie Making a Strong First Impression in Training Camp

After years of picking in the lottery, the Detroit Pistons found themselves with a first-round pick in the 2025 draft. However, that did not stop them from adding another intriguing talent to the pipeline.

With their second-round pick, the Pistons nabbed sharpshooting guard Chaz Lanier.

Lanier is an older prospect, playing five years in college before making the jump to the pros. His career started off slow, but he burst on the scene in a big way in his final two seasons. As a junior at North Florida, he averaged 19.7 PPG and shot 44.0% from beyond the arc.

Lanier then transferred to Tennessee for his senior season, where he averaged 18.0 PPG and converted 39.5% of his three-point attempts.

Now with the Pistons, Lanier finds himself with an opportunity to carve out a role for himself on one of the league's top up-and-coming squads.

Pistons Chaz Lanie — Sep 29, 2025; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Chaz Lanier (20) poses for his official head shot for the 2025-26 season at the Detroit Pistons Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

With the abundance of talent on the Pistons' roster, Lanier is going to have to battle for playing time in J.B. Bickerstaff's rotation. As his time in Detroit begins, he is making a strong first impression.

Following training camp on Friday, Pistons guard Marcus Sasser was asked his thoughts on the Pistons' rookie. He had nothing but good things to say about Lanier and what he is going to bring to the team in 2026 and beyond.

"He is a very good shooter, play very hard. I think he came from a program like Houston, so he kind of got that grit and stuff already," Sasser said. "Once he just learn the speed of the game and learn the new concepts that we have, I feel like he will thrive just because of the way he can shoot the ball at a very high clip."

Lanier getting time as a rookie shouldn't be ruled out, seeing that he provides a key complementary skill set. Last season, we saw what having capable shooting did for the offense. Especially when it came to Cade Cunningham's playmaking.

If Lanier can have similar success from deep in the pros as he did in college, J.B. Bickerstaff is sure to give him playing time in his first season.

Following camp, Lanier will have an opportunity to further make his case for minutes during preseason. As one of the new faces, he'll certainly be a player to keep an eye on.

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