Something to note as he adjusts to his new team.
Believe it or not, we’re just a few weeks out from basketball season. Tennessee completely reloaded its roster over the offseason, seeing several veteran mainstays exit the program after exhausting their eligibility. Rick Barnes once again attacked the transfer portal, landing four big pieces to add to the rotation.
Perhaps the biggest was senior guard Chaz Lanier, who comes in from North Florida. The Nashville native exploded as a junior, scoring nearly 20 points per game after being a role player for his first two seasons. The 6-4 guard is now on the NBA’s radar, and he’ll use his final season of eligibility to face SEC competition with Tennessee.
After seeing what Dalton Knecht did last season, that’s not a bad plan. However, his year is off to a bit of a slow start. Though it doesn’t sound like anything too major, Rick Barnes revealed on Thursday that Lanier has been on and off the floor with a foot injury.
“He just had an inflamed something on his foot,” Barnes said. “He has been going in and out, bringing him back, too, slowly.”
It doesn’t sound like anything to panic about, but getting into the Tennessee system and culture is a big change for most entering the program — especially with limited time. Barnes touched on that aspect on Thursday, too.
“Normally, when he’s really playing his best basketball, he doesn’t mess with the ball very much,” Barnes said. “He gets to his shot, he gets where he needs to be. And it’s been a really, I think he would tell you, a unique experience for him playing with group of guys that bring the energy and effort that Jahmai and Zakai bring. Jordan Gainey has been with it too. And the standard that those guys play with every day has been a big experience for him as anything he’s gone through. And he would tell you that. He’s going to have to continue to do what he does, but do it at a much quicker pace.”
Tennessee will unofficially open the season on October 27th with a scrimmage against Indiana. Their first official game comes against Gardner-Webb on November 4th. It will be very interesting to see how all of these new pieces of the puzzle fit together, and whether or not Lanier is ready to roll at 100 percent.