How Does Tre Mann Stack Up Against Other Mid-First Rounders?

Tre Mann's strong start to the season has allowed him to contribute to team success early on.

Throughout the start of the Thunder’s 2021-22 campaign, Tre Mann has been a pleasant surprise. When Oklahoma City selected him at No. 18 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, some thought it may be a reach. Most draft boards didn’t have the Florida product going until the end of the first round, but Thunder GM Sam Presti liked what he saw.

Mann has been a huge bright spot for the Thunder. While his role fluctuates, he’s delivered recently when he’s been given the chance with an increase in playing time. Mann is averaging 7.4 points per game while shooting 41.9% from the field and 37.3% from 3-point range. As a microwave scorer, and somewhat of a volume shooter, those are very impressive numbers for a rookie. 

Tre Mann is such an elite space creator pic.twitter.com/r9m7kUb14c

— Draft Dummies (@DraftDummies) December 16, 2021

Per 36 minutes, Mann is averaging 16.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. Let’s take a look at how Mann stacks up against other players who were taken in the middle of the first round of the recent draft.

The Pelicans ended up with Trey Murphy at 17th overall, expecting him to play from day one. After an impressive Summer League, Murphy has been off to a slow start. Mann has him beat in every category, as Murphy is averaging just 4.2 points on 36% shooting and 36.9% from deep.

Many mid-to-late first-round picks haven’t seen much court-time at all, some relegated to the G League. Kai Jones, Jalen Johnson, Keon Johnson, and Isaiah Jackson are all players taken in the early 20s that are not in the rotation in any capacity. Rather, many of them are gaining valuable experience in the G League on a more regular basis.

With the 24th overall pick, six picks after Mann, the Rockets selected Josh Christopher. He has been a bright spot for the young Rockets squad as he has been able to contribute serious minutes as one of the youngest players in the NBA. In terms of impact and efficiency, Christopher is by far the closest player to Mann out of anyone else drafted in that range. The Arizona State product is averaging 5.6 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the floor and 43.8% from deep.

Corey Kispert and Alperen Sengun are two rookies that were taken just a few picks before Mann that have cracked the rotation on their respective teams. Kispert, who came into the NBA with a reputation as a lights out 3-point shooter, is averaging 3.9 points per game and shooting 26.4% from downtown. Sengun, who was drafted with the Thunder’s pick at No. 16 but sent to the Rockets in a trade, is averaging 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The rookie big also makes impressive flashy passes regularly and has been one of the more productive rookies thus far.

Alperen Sengun with a career night.

He's absolutely going to be an All-Star one day. https://t.co/kCxxBmB0F5

— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 11, 2021

While Tre Mann has a much smaller sample size, his numbers per 36 minutes are on par with some of the top picks in the draft. It gets very interesting when you start comparing Mann’s per 36 minutes with second overall pick Jalen Green’s per 36.

While Mann is averaging 16.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per 36 minutes, Houston’s young star is adding 16.3 points and 3.6 rebounds. Green is also less efficient with lower field goal percentages across the board.

It’s clear that Mann has exceeded expectations and outplayed many first-round picks. He is providing solid minutes off the bench and seems to get better every time he’s on the court. If Mann can keep up the efficiency and production, drafting him at 18th overall might look like a steal soon as he's been one of the best scorers in this rookie class.

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