Thunder Rebuild: Tre Mann Could Emerge as Premier Sixth Man

The young Thunder guard can score in bunches.

In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Tre Mann with the No. 18 overall pick. While he was projected to take time to make an impact at the NBA level, the rookie guard provided an immediate scoring punch.

During his first season, Mann produced 10.4 points per game while shooting 36.0% from beyond the arc. While he likely won’t be a primary point guard at the NBA level, he did grow up playing the position and was a quality passer last season.

In just 60 games during his rookie season, Mann nearly notched 100 assists. He’s got more upside than just scoring as he continues to develop moving forward.

Mann has elite shiftiness and is able to create space to get shots off. He’s also 6-foot-4 which allows him to be nearly impossible to defend when he takes his signature stepback shot.

Tre Mann gets free with a crazy stepback 👀

It's his third triple of the night as the @okcthunder lead on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/V0kkYEn6W6 pic.twitter.com/JQRKGhCdU9

— NBA (@NBA) December 19, 2021

The upside for Mann is on the offensive end, where he should have a long career as a microwave scorer. Additionally, with how guard-heavy Oklahoma City is it appears the now second-year guard will continue to be in a bench role moving forward.

If he’s able to emerge as the primary reserve scorer for the Thunder, he’ll be well worth the first rounder the team spent on him.

Bench scorers have proven to be extremely impactful in the history of the NBA. With Mann’s upside as a scorer, he’s truly got the potential to one day be in the conversation for NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

In year two, Mann will have more competition for playing time but should still get plenty of action off the bench.

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