Chaz Lanier is primed to be the latest Tennessee basketball prospect to turn a single season with the Vols into being an NBA Draft pick.
The Vols guard is expected to be taken in the 2025 NBA Draft, which is on June 25 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Tennessee has had eight players drafted under coach Rick Barnes. The past five all played one season at UT with four being one-and-done freshmen. Dalton Knecht transferred from Northern Colorado before the Los Angeles Lakers picked him No. 17 in the 2024 NBA Draft. Lanier transferred to UT from North Florida for his final season.
If Lanier is picked, Tennessee will have had a player picked in five straight NBA Drafts for the first time since the NBA moved to a two-round draft in 1989.
Where Chaz Lanier is projected in 2025 NBA Draft projections
Lanier is widely projected to be an early second-round pick. The majority of mock drafts expect him to be selected in the first 10 picks of the second round.
USA TODAY For the Win has Lanier going No. 32 to the Boston Celtics, which is the highest projection among major outlets.
Yahoo Sports tabbed Lanier as the No. 41 pick to the Golden State Warriors.
“The Warriors need more shooting, which explains everything about this pick,” wrote Kevin O’Connor. “Lanier transferred to Tennessee after four years at North Florida and immediately thrived as a knockdown shooter with shot-making creativity. But without great size or playmaking at his age, he’s a second-round prospect.”
Here is where Lanier is projected in NBA mock drafts:
Chaz Lanier stats with Tennessee basketball
Lanier averaged 18 points and shot 39.5% on 3-pointers in his lone season at Tennessee.
The Nashville native set the Tennessee record for 3-pointers in a season with 123, breaking Chris Lofton’s mark of 118. He broke the record against UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and is one of three players in UT history to make more than 100 3-pointers in a season. His 123 3-pointers marks the sixth-highest single-season total in SEC history.
He had a season-high 30 points and made eight 3-pointers at Texas A&M on Feb. 22 to become the fourth player in program history to make eight or more threes in a game. Lofton did it twice, while Allan Houston and Jordan McRae each made eight a game once.
He ranks ninth in Tennessee history with 684 points in a season. He is eighth in career 3-point shooting percentage with a 39.5% mark. He ranks fourth with 3.24 made 3-pointers per game in a season.
Lanier scored 29 points against Wofford in Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament opener on March 20. He made six 3-pointers to tie the UT NCAA Tournament record.
Lanier won the Jerry West Award as the top shooting guard in the nation. He was named SEC newcomer of the year, a new award given to a transfer who has not previously competed in SEC action. He also earned a handful of third-team All-American honors.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
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