Chaz Lanier's stats and measurements at the G League Elite Camp

In two games over the weekend at the NBA’s G League Elite Camp, North Florida guard Chaz Lanier scored 10 points in 33 minutes, going 3-for-7 from the field, including 1-for-4 from the 3-point line, and aded five rebounds, an assist and a turnover.

Lanier, who declared or the NBA Draft in March and entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in April, was not one of the five standout players from the camp that were called up to the NBA Draft Combine this week in Chicago.

Instead, those five invites went to West Virginia’s Jesse Edwards, USC’s Boogie Ellis, Akron’s Enrique Freeman, Washington State’s Isaac Jones and Memphis’ Nae’Qwan Tomlin. 

Lanier measured in at 6-foot-3.75 without shoes at the G League Camp. He had a 6-foot-9 wingspan and weighed in at 196.0 pounds. He had a max vertical of 36.0 inches and a standing vertical of 30.0 inches. Lanier’s full measurements from the G League Elite Camp can be seen here.

In the first game of the camp on Saturday, Lanier had five points on 2-for-4 shooting, going 0-for-1 from the 3-point line. He had three rounds, an assist and a turnover and was a plus-1.

In the camp’s final game on Sunday, Lanier scored five points in 21 minutes, going 1-for-3 from the field (all of his shots came from the 3-point line) while adding two rebounds. He was a plus-10 in his 21 minutes on the floor.

What’s next for Tennessee in the recruitment of Chaz Lanier

With the G League Elite Camp out of the way, the next order of business for Tennessee in the recruitment of Lanier will be to schedule an official visit. As of Monday morning, a date for a visit had not yet been finalized.

The Vols have been mentioned in connection with Lanier since the moment he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on April 24. Kentucky has been the program that has been mentioned more recently as one of Tennessee’s competitors for Lanier, considered one of the best players remaining on the transfer market.

Lanier, the Nashville native, averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33.4 minutes per game last season, shooting 51.0% from the field and 44.0% from the 3-point line. According to Synergy Basketball, his 19.7 points came on just 16.3 possessions per game, putting him at 1.20 points per possession and ranked No. 1 in scoring efficiency last season. 

“It’s all new for me and my family,” Lanier said of the NBA Draft process recently during an appearance on the ‘No Ceilings’ Podcast with Stephen Gillaspie, “but like I said, man, this is all God. It’s all a blessing man.

“It’s all brand new for me and my family, so I’m just enjoying the process and staying where my feet are planted and truly enjoying every day.”

What the Vols are looking to add

Tennessee currently has three roster spots open on its 2024-25 roster and the Vols are looking to add a scoring guard in the backcourt. In a perfect world, that addition would be Lanier.

Rick Barnes addressed the front court with the addition of 6-foot-11 Ohio State transfer center Felix Okpara and 6-foot-10 Charlotte stretch forward Igor Milicic. He addressed a need on the wing in Hofstra’s Darlinstone Dubar, the first transfer addition of the offseason.

Now Tennessee is all in on adding a scorer at guard.

“I think what we’re looking for now is the best player we can find,” Barnes said last week during the Big Orange Caravan stop in Kingsport. “And someone that … you’re always looking to add some scoring if you can. And that’s something we look at, whether it’s up front or in the back court. 

“But right now it’s whatever we do, it’s got to be something that we think that we don’t have and something that we know can benefit us.”