Oklahoma City Thunder Select Gators Guard Tre Mann in NBA Draft

Former Florida Gators guard Tre Mann was picked with the 18th overall pick in this year's NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Former Florida Gators guard Tre Mann was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

The 20-year-old, 6-foot-5, 190-pound combo guard spent two seasons with the Gators, emerging in a lead role during the 2020-21 season. Mann could connect on 45.9 percent of shots as a sophomore, going 40.2 percent from three, averaging 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

With room to grow physically and as a distributor, Mann won't be expected to start too soon for the Thunder. However, Mann's natural abilities as a scorer could lead to significant minutes early on in his Oklahoma City career. Mann went through a significant growth spurt between his freshman and sophomore seasons, growing two inches and adding 15 pounds, and is capable of more given his current frame.

Mann is the first Florida player selected in an NBA Draft since forward Erik Murphy was taken by the Chicago Bulls in the second round in 2013, and the Gators' first first-round pick since Bradley Beal was selected third overall by the Washington Wizards in 2012.

Fellow Florida product, wing Scottie Lewis, remains on the board of available prospects in this year's draft. Forward Colin Castleton entered the draft pool in April but withdrew and returned to the Gators on July 4.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators recruiting, football and basketball. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.