When the Detroit Pistons lost free-agent Malik Beasley to a gambling investigation, some suggested they might have drafted his replacement in Chaz Lanier.
Lanier fits the prototype, as he and Beasley are around the same size and have a similar game as guys who love to bomb 3-point shots off the catch.
Lanier at least showed he’s willing to do it, as he launched a ton of 3-point shots in Summer League, averaging over nine attempts per game from long range.
The problem is that he didn’t make many of them, and if Lanier isn’t making shots, he doesn’t do much else, another trait he shares with Beasley, which is why the Pistons’ offense could be more dynamic next season with Duncan Robinson even though he’s not as prolific a 3-point shooter as Beasley.
Lanier already had an uphill climb to make the rotation, but after a lackluster Summer League performance, he has his work cut out for him if he wants to start the season on the Pistons and not in the G-League.
Are there really minutes for Chaz Lanier in the Detroit Pistons’ rotation?
No one expects a second-round pick to instantly play minutes on a team with playoff aspirations, but after the Pistons lost Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dennis Schroder, the window opened a crack for Chaz Lanier.
But the Pistons now have a solid nine-man rotation with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert, Ron Holland II and Isaiah Stewart.
Holland solidified his spot in the rotation with a strong Summer League performance on both ends, including knocking down nearly half of his 3-point shots and looking comfortable doing it.
That really only leaves scant minutes that will likely be eaten up by Marcus Sasser, Paul Reed and possibly Daniss Jenkins in an emergency.
Lanier will either have to shoot the life out of the ball from here on out or will have to wait his turn, as there aren’t rotation minutes for him right now and there may not be next season.
Neither of Langdon’s second-round picks look like NBA players yet, which is disappointing, but also something he saw coming as more of the second-round talent stays in college for the NIL money.
Given that Lanier is already older than much of the Pistons’ core, the window of opportunity for him to seize a rotation spot could close quickly, as the Pistons still have the flexibility to add another player or two at some point next season.
Pump the brakes on the Lanier hype, as he won’t be Beasley’s replacement and will be lucky to play at all next season.