New Additions Mounts Pressure on Tre Mann to Perform

Tre Mann didn’t play up to par last season, but with new additions in the off-season he has to perform well to keep his role.

Oklahoma City’s guard room continues to become increasingly jam packed and the outlook for bench minutes has continued to get cloudier as the offseason moves forward.

From drafting Cason Wallace and signing Vasilije Micic to a three-year contract, the Thunder have added impressive playmakers to the bench, however that leaves OKC well over the allotted roster spots for the regular season. Returning guards, namely Tre Mann, have a limited time span to prove themselves as not only valuable members to the roster but also to earn more minutes.

Mann made a major statement on Monday night when the third year guard and his young teammates opened up the Summer League. With no minutes or roster spots guaranteed, he needs to have an incredible offseason, and he got off to a hot start. Mann scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, he also added an early contender for dunk of the year.

Mann’s struggles were clear last season as a second year player after a rookie season where he found a lot of success. He spent time in the G League at times last season, where he excelled and showed flashes of the potential he flashed in his rookie season. However, with Micic and Wallace both entering the fray, Mann doesn’t have the same security he did last season.

The Thunder took a big leap forward in the rebuild after making the pla-in tournament, and are now preparing to possibly take another step forward and compete for a playoff seed. The chances for a playoff along with added guard depth makes it harder for a player to struggle and still maintain a consistent role.

With Wallace’s defensive prowess and Micic’s passing and experience the pressure is certainly real as both new additions will likely have good sized roles for OKC next season.

The Summer League won’t solely determine if Mann will earn himself another chance in the rotation, but the opening game of the Summer League was a good start for Mann to begin his defense of his roster spot.

It won’t be easy as Mann faces an uphill battle after the Thunder have focused on adding more guards, but in a make-or-break scenario Mann answered the first of many calls he’ll face this offseason. 

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