Yes, you do. Esri botched the zLAS support so far. "Unzip" and then they work fine with geoprocessing. [Here is a workflow link][1] for using LAZ files in ArcGIS. [Here is a workflow link][2] for using LAZ in ArcGIS Pro.
It looks like you will need a 3D analyst or spatial analystSpatial Analyst license in Pro or a data interoperability license in ArcGIS. [1]: https://support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000018224 [2]: https://support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000018920