For the second straight game, Detroit Pistons second-year guard Chaz Lanier put on an absolute shooting clinic in the Summer League. In the first edition of his long-range prowess, Lanier connected on seven of his 12 attempts from downtown for a crisp 25-point performance, then he followed that up with an 8-for-12 effort from downtown with 24 points attached. However, the Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first instance but fell to the New York Knicks by a 86-75 final score in the second edition. 

“My goal is to just be a solid, key player on this team, the Detroit Pistons team— provide that shooting, solid defense, go out there communicate and do what I do,” Lanier said after the Knicks game. “Whatever the team needs me to do, whatever JB needs me to do. Just be able to provide that for the team.”

For Lanier, who has played in the Summer League previously as a rookie, the Tennessee product is planning to continue to work hard since that’s the route he followed that led to such a prolific three-point shooting rhythm.

“Just continue to work, whatever the team needs me to do. If that’s going down and playing with the Cruise or getting key minutes with the Pistons, whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do it,” Lanier said. “Continue to put my head down and work. That’s the goal.”

But even though Lanier was locked in from beyond the arc, the talented shooting guard was able to identify several areas that the Pistons could have cleaned up against the Knicks, areas that ultimately led to their demise on Monday. 

”In a game like that, offensive rebounds, they had a ton of those,” Lanier said. “We gotta be better on the glass, careless turnovers. Just the small things, they add up especially in a close game.”

But from an individual perspective, having that kind of success on the perimeter is bound to create a certain element of self-assuredness, and that’s the feeling Lanier was left with after facing New York and Cleveland in successive days. 

”I just feel confident, going out there, make some shots today or yesterday just gives me a certain confidence about myself,” Lanier said. “It makes me feel like I’m ready, but I know that I’ve got to continue to work and do what they need me to do.”

Apart from Lanier’s individual performance, former Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie had another productive day at the office even though his shot was not necessarily falling at the clip he would’ve liked. As a whole, Okorie scored 14 points (5-for-18 shooting), six rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in his third outing as a pro. 

”He is a rookie, but he’s really good,” Lanier said. “You can tell he’s really good. He goes out there and plays with confidence. He plays really free. He can go out there and get a bucket. He can facilitate. So, I’m excited to see how he continues to grow.”

In terms of growth, the Pistons are likely going to experience some growing pains as a unit considering there has been so much roster turnover from last season to now. With Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser exiting the team via trade, Detroit has brought in a series of veterans that are expected to contribute to the squad in a variety of different ways. Lanier said that he’s already met “pretty much” every new member of the Pistons through team dinners, and he’s excited about what the future holds. 

”A lot of versatility,” Lanier said. “John Collins, I mean all the guys that we’ve gotten, I’m excited to play with them. I can tell they’re good guys on and off the court, so I’m excited to play with them.”

Moving forward, the Pistons have one more Summer League game on the docket later today against the Phoenix Suns as the squad looks to produce a .500 record before advancing to training camp later this offseason. 

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