Continuing the annual OKC Thunder prospect profile series the next player Intentions turns our focus to is Florida guard Tre Mann.
A late growth spurt had Mann projected high on draft boards coming into the 2020-21 season. However, those extra inches didn’t immediately translate to improvements on the hardwood, resulting in his slide backward on boards.
He’s still expected to be a mid to late first round selection which puts him in the OKC Thunder wheelhouse (although unlikely).
Let’s dive into Mann with a view to his overall production and examine how he would fit into Mark Daigneault’s system.
OKC Thunder draft prospect profile for Tre Mann:
Specifics:
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 190 pounds
- Wingspan: 6’4″
- Position: Guard
- Birthdate/Age: February 2nd, 2001, 20 years
- College: Florida, sophomore
- Stat line: 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals
- Home Town: Gainesville, Florida
Box Score Statistics:
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/15/2021.
Current Ranking:
- The Ringer: 24th
- NBA DraftNet: 24th
- ESPN: 22nd
- CBS Sports: 31st
- NBA: 19th
- Bleacher Report: 20th
With that let’s dive a little deeper into Tre Mann to determine his strengths and weaknesses.
Tre Mann strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
There are plenty of positives to point to for Tre Mann decidedly on the offensive side of the court. Mann possesses a smooth handle, great footwork, and versatility moves to score with ease.
His toolbox includes step-back shots, pull-ups, floaters, change of speed or direction moves that result in his ability to score from all three levels of the floor. He’s also adept at running the pick and roll and will only improve as he develops.
In particular, his perimeter prowess will be appealing as he shot 40.2 percent from deep on 4.7 attempts per game.
While his ball-handling is strong it should improve with time (and few turnovers) which bodes well for him to become more dangerous with teams uncertain whether he’ll shoot or pass to an open teammate.
Weaknesses:
In a rarity, Mann’s wingspan is shorter (6’4) than his height (6’5). Growth spurts can have that effect so that might mean he’s still growing and things will balance out.
It also impacts his defense although effort and commitment on that end are far greater concerns. He’ll need to hit the weight room to fill in his body to match the new height and gain strength to help him score with greater ease inside and bolster his defense.
While his handle is notably smooth, Mann forces some plays which led to turnovers (2.8 per game versus 3.5 assists per game).
The Florida native is much more finesse stylistically than gritty and while he projects to potentially become an offensive star adding some of that grit and aggressiveness would help accelerate his playing time in the NBA.
Pro Comparison:
An impressive list of NBA talents such as D’Angelo Russell, taller Darius Garland, and Jordan Poole are offered up as comparisons for Tre Mann.
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While I’d argue Garland and Poole offer more defensively than Mann the Russell comparison seems a bit lofty but definitely a benchmark to work toward.
OKC Thunder fit:
Offense will always be a need on the current OKC Thunder squad and Mann projects to be a player who’ll bring plenty of that.
That said, while Sam Presti looks to bolster his squad with players who can add scoring he’s not likely to completely ignore a player’s defensive ability. The point guard could improve in this area but it’s likely the Thunder wil have interest in other prospects.
And, let’s not forget Theo Maledon is still developing. In fact, Mann is older than Theo who only just turned 20 on June 14th.
Moreover, Mann isn’t likely to be on the board when Presti selects as most mock drafts expect him to be selected late in the first round.