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Pistons Have Massive Opportunity for Rookie’s College Teammate

Chaz Lanier's and his college teammate will reunite for the Summer League Detroit Pistons.
Justin Grasso|
Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler (5) celebrates with Tennessee's Chaz Lanier (2) during an NCAA college basketball game between Tennessee and Florida in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. Tennessee defeated Florida.
Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler (5) celebrates with Tennessee's Chaz Lanier (2) during an NCAA college basketball game between Tennessee and Florida in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. Tennessee defeated Florida. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Detroit Pistons

When Chaz Lanier suits up for the Detroit Pistons’ Summer League run, he’ll get an opportunity to reunite with his college teammate. Following the second and final round of the 2025 NBA Draft, it was revealed that Zakai Zeigler would play for the Pistons during the team’s Summer League run.

The New York native didn’t manage to get selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. The former Tennessee point guard will look to showcase his talent without any guarantees this summer.

Zeigler wraps up his four-year run at Tennessee with 138 games played. Throughout his first season, Zeigler came off the bench for all but one of the matchups he played. As a reserve, he produced nine points per game, along with two rebounds and two steals.

During his sophomore season, Zeigler started half of those games. In his junior and senior seasons, Zeigler only came off the bench six times. He was a full-time starter throughout his senior year last season.

As a senior, Zeigler produced 14 points per game on 40 percent shooting from the field. From deep, he attempted 5.4 shots per game, and averaged 32 percent from beyond the arc.

Along with his scoring, Zeigler averaged seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals per game.

The Pistons are only coming away with one rookie on pace to be on the roster this year. After losing their first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves after the protection was lifted, the Pistons had just pick 37 at their disposal. They spent it on Chaz Lanier, as many mock drafts predicted.

“We knew he was our guy if he got to our pick,” Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon explained. “We were very fortunate to get him.”

Zeigler might not have a spot on the Pistons’ main roster right now, but a strong Summer League run could help him take the next step, landing in the NBA on a two-way or standard contract.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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