The Brooklyn Nets have five picks to use in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, meaning that they will have plenty of players to consider before the event begins on June 25. Brooklyn will most likely spend more time on prospects that are likely to be taken in the first round, but there is a player who seems like he could be a perfect fit for the Nets in the second round.
“I believe I’m the best shooter in the draft, Lanier told The Post,” Brian Lewis of the New York Post wrote in his article on his conversation with Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier. To Lanier’s credit, he is one of the best shooters in the Draft and it isn’t out of left field to say that he is the best shooter in the class, especially when considering his track record.
“But [also] a competitor, a winner, somebody who wants to win and is going to bring the best effort to the team,” Lanier continued, per Lewis. “I feel like I have a proven track record, and I bring maturity and experience onto any team who drafts me. I’ve shown that I can adapt and continue to develop. And I feel like I’m a more mature and experienced guy who can contribute the right way, and immediately.”
Lanier, 23, is coming off a senior season at Tennessee in which he averaged 18.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the field and 39.5% from three-point land on 8.2 three-point attempts per game. Of players in the class with at least 6.2 three-pointers attempted per game during the 2024-25 season, Lanier has the third-best three-point shooting percentage behind Texas guard Tre Johnson (39.7%) and Missouri guard Caleb Grill (39.6%).
Even though Lanier is confident is his abilities to perform at the next level, he is also cognizant of the opportunity that he would have playing for the Nets under head coach Jordi Fernandez. If Lanier were drafted by Brooklyn, he would heading to a team that finished the regular season with a 26-56 record, but he is looking at the big picture of how the Nets play.
“Definitely a golden opportunity. I feel like everything needs shooting, especially in today’s league and the way most teams play. In Brooklyn, they play an unselfish brand of basketball. You’re out there on the court having a great time with your teammates and playing defense, most importantly,” Lanier said, per Lewis.