Rookie Tracker: Thunder Guard Tre Mann Ending Season on High Note

Rookie guard Tre Mann has hit another gear in the late-stretch of the season.

With just 10 games left on the Oklahoma City slate, mock drafts and prospect discussion is beginning to heat up among teams not vying for play-in spots.

But Thunder rookie Tre Mann, selected 18th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, has begun to tell people they’re moving on too early.

After a slow, inefficient start to his debut year, Mann has become white-hot, scoring 17.1 points per game in his last 16 contests.

He’s averaging 23.5 in his last four games, including scalding performances against the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. In that span he’s shooting 49 percent from the field and 45% from three on a blistering 10 attempts per game.

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Drafted to be a natural scorer, it’s become apparent that Mann has already become more comfortable in that role. But he’s beginning to excel in other areas as well, a sure sign of his development thus far.

In his last four contests, he’s come down with 5.5 rebounds per game and dished out 1.5 assists per contest. The rebounding is marked improvement from his 2.8 season average, and the passing has been more eye-test recently than the numbers game.

Mann has also been steadily improving on the defensive side of the ball. For now, focusing on being a plus-defender will be the name of the game for Mann. As he learns to stay in front of and limit NBA-level guards, steals and lane disruption will come.

Mann and the Thunder are back in action on Saturday night with an 8 p.m. matchup against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

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