San Antonio — When the Detroit Pistons selected Chaz Lanier with the No. 37 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, it was clear that the rookie prospect would spend much of his first season playing with the organization’s G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.
He was joining a team that had recently put together one of the best one-year turnarounds in league history and seemed ready to build on the success. In fact, Lanier recognized he would gain more valuable experience by playing at the professional level in the G League early in his career.
In December, he requested to be assigned to the Cruise to aid in his rookie development. In his G League debut on Dec. 10, Lanier scored 40 points with nine made 3-point field goals in a loss to the Cleveland Charge.
“He has played for us at times throughout the season and has done all of the things we needed him to do here. He is just caught in a numbers situation,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He is an NBA player, and we expect him to be a part of what we are doing long-term.”
Lanier has appeared in 15 games with the Cruise, showcasing the offensive potential that made him a sought-after prospect coming out of Tennessee, where he averaged 18.0 points per game on 39.5% 3-point shooting last season.
Lanier has averaged 15.9 points per game with the Cruise, shooting 41.6% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range. His performance has given Bickerstaff a clear understanding of the impact he could have on the team going forward. However, given the Pistons’ struggles with 3-point shooting, not giving Lanier more playing time may have been one of the team’s biggest missed opportunities this season.
“It’s his shot-making, his ability to create shots, he is ahead of the game as a rookie, understanding offenses, and he is only going to get better when he continues to play with better players,” Bickerstaff said. “He understands where to be relative to the ball. So when you have an elite playmaker like Cade (Cunningham), for example, he is always going to be open.
Bickerstaff continued, “I’ve told the guys this before, there is going to be a night when Chaz has 30-something points but has only dribbled the ball three times. He is that good at finding his area and has the ability to knockdown those shots.”
Despite not using Lanier’s best attribute, the Pistons have done a solid job overcoming their shooting struggles all season. They have posted the league’s second-best record at 45-15 while relying heavily on their defense. Detroit has held teams to 109.5 points per game this season, amid a defensive net rating of 108.4.
However, as the regular season approaches its stretch run, they currently have the league’s second-worst 3-point shooting percentage at 30.0%, ahead of only the Sacramento Kings over the last seven games. Their shooting struggles peaked during a 106-92 win over the Orlando Magic. They shot a season-low 4 of 30 from 3-point range (13.3%) on Sunday night, which included missing their first 15 attempts.
“I don’t know how in the hell you are in a basketball game shooting 1-of-18 from 3 in a half,” Bickerstaff said after the win. “It is a credit to our guys’ grit, toughness and ability to get stops. As well as understanding who we are. They do not panic. They just continue to do the next right thing.”
Given the Pistons’ goal of winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy, subpar shooting might become their biggest obstacle to their championship aspirations.
It may be too late for Bickerstaff to adjust his rotation in hopes of helping Lanier find his rhythm before the postseason begins. However, rather than trying to incorporate the rookie prospect, Bickerstaff will continue to rely on the trust that has propelled Detroit to the top of the Eastern Conference.
“We just got to shoot the ball with confidence,” Bickerstaff said. “The opportunities are there. It’s not a question of talent, it’s not a question of work. Sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in. It’s like we figured out a way around it offensively, still a way to be efficient with our ability to attack the paint, but you don’t just magically start making shots. We’ll continue to share the ball, create open shots for one another and then take ones we got.”
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Chaz Lanier has what’s ailing Pistons, but opportunity likely must wait
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
