Detroit Pistons Receive Strong Grade For Impressive Addition

“Lanier belongs in any discussion regarding this draft’s best shooter,” wrote BR’s Andy Bailey.

With five years of NCAA experience under his belt, Lanier was far too consistent to doubt his ability to knock down threes at a high clip. Throughout his college career, he attempted 4.8 shots from deep per game. He averaged 40 percent from three when his college career was all said and done.

During his stint at North Florida, which spanned four seasons, Lanier only averaged over three threes per game during his junior campaign. Taking 7.5 per game, he knocked down 44 percent of his threes. When he got to Tennessee for his final season, Lanier shot 40 percent from three on 8.2 per game.

Beyond the three-point shooting, Lanier has question marks, according to Bailey, but it was noted that it won’t matter much for his position early on.

“There isn’t much else in his game worth mentioning, though, and since he’s an older prospect, that may always be the case. He’s also sized like a combo guard, but he doesn’t have the handles, vision, or touch to execute on-ball responsibilities. For the Detroit Pistons, he won’t really need to. They already have an All-NBA creator in Cade Cunningham. And with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley entering free agency, looking for shooting made sense in this spot.”

Throughout the pre-draft process, Lanier would draw multiple comparisons to Malik Beasley. One analyst even snuck a Tim Hardaway Jr. one in there as well. It’s clear the Pistons have a type since Trajan Langdon took over in the front office. Based on Detroit’s success last year, the strategy is right.

Surround Cade Cunningham with high-volume three-point scorers, and watch it work. Malik Beasley thrived on the Pistons last season, scoring 16 points per game and knocking down 42 percent of his threes on nine attempts per game.

Hardaway’s production took a slight dip from his Dallas days, as he played a starting role in Detroit, moving down the offensive pecking order. Still, he averaged 11 points on 37 percent shooting from three, which was a slight bump up from the 2023-2024 season.

Being a second-rounder, it’s unclear what it’s going to take for Lanier to get on the court in year one. He’ll certainly have an opportunity to battle for a spot in the rotation.

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