From the dynamic duo of Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield in 2019 to the unforgettable Dalton Knecht in 2024, Tennessee has sent eight players to the professional level through the NBA Draft over the last six years.
The Vols may be adding a ninth player to that list this summer.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released a new 2025 NBA Mock Draft on Wednesday with Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier landing with a second-round selection in the projection.
Givony and Woo have Lanier going to the San Antonio Spurs with the 39th overall pick in the draft, which is the ninth pick in the second round. If he does join the Spurs’ up-and-coming roster, Lanier would link up with sophomore sensation Victor Wembanyama and former Kentucky superstar De’Aaron Fox.
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Lanier leads Tennessee at 17.4 points per game with a team-high 40.1% mark from three-point range among active perimeter shooters. Lanier quickly established himself as one of the nation’s top scorers through Tennessee’s non-conference slate but has been more up and down in conference play.
While Lanier only has one single-digit scoring game in SEC play this season, the Nashville native has finished with just 10 points in five out of Tennessee’s last 11 SEC games. Tennessee has seen huge scoring games and big perimeter performances from Lanier this season, they just haven’t been strung together very consistently in conference play.
Lanier’s back-to-back seasons of 40%+ shooting from three-range (44% in 23-24, 40.1% in 24-25) and one of the quickest shot releases in the game are certainly going to draw the attention of NBA scouts, though.
With how stout the SEC is this year, it’s no surprise to see a bevy of conference players in the two rounds of ESPN’s mock draft on Wednesday:
- No. 9 Oklahoma G Jeremiah Frears
- No. 11 Texas SG Tre Johnson
- No. 18 South Carolina PF Collin Murray-Boyles
- No. 21 Georgia PG Asa Newell
- No. 25 Arkansas SF Adou Thiero
- No. 26 Florida C Alex Condon
- No. 37 Arkansas PG Boogie Fland
- No. 39 Tennessee SG Chaz Lanier
- No. 41 Auburn PF Johni Broome
- No. 56 Arkansas PF Zvonimir Ivisic
- No. 58 Kentucky SG Koby Brea
The 2025 NBA Draft will take place on Wednesday, June 25, and Thursday, June 26, from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Check out the full NBA mock draft from ESPN on Wednesday here.
