Rookie Tracker: Tre Mann, Aaron Wiggins Ignite Versus Heat

Oklahoma City's two healthy rookies ignited versus the Heat on Friday night.

After battling with lingering injures along with the rest of the Thunder squad, Oklahoma City rookie Tre Mann ignited against the Heat on Friday.

Despite the 12-point loss, Mann poured on 25 points on over 50% shooting off the bench. He shot 10-for-19 from the field, and nailed five of his 11 3-point attempts.

Mann used a variety of offensive moves to put himself in scoring position Friday night, cutting, dodging and using his signature step-back to get to his spots.

He's been wholly inefficient this season, but has shown marked improvement as the season has progressed.

Mann also grabbed eight boards, a promising sign for his development outside of scoring.

Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports

But Mann wasn’t the only rookie to have a strong performance, as second rounder Aaron Wiggins scored 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

He also provided his patented defense, someone general manager Sam Presti was likely keen on when he took the Maryland junior 55th overall.

Both Wiggins and Mann finished with just one turnover apiece.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and budding star Josh Giddey have both been sidelined for a significant amount of games due to their respective injuries.

Overall, it’s been a successful year for OKC’s four rookies, who have each begun to carve out their role for future Thunder squads.

Oklahoma City will take on Orlando on Sunday night at 5 p.m. in what is sure to be a battle for draft positioning. 

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