Tre Mann has stellar preseason debut in OKC Thunder win

The Oklahoma City Thunder are back in action! It is preseason basketball for the boys in blue, and the team just tipped off a four-game week that started Monday Night in Denver. The Oklahoma City Thunder faced off with the Nuggets without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MCL), Chet Holmgren (Foot), Mike Muscala (Ankle), and Lu Dort (Concussion) yet they still were able to top a Western Conference contender, 112-101 on the road. Missing those key pieces put a lot of pressure on Tre Mann to score the ball, and he delivered to jump-start his second NBA season.

Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Mann was the lone true scorer for the Oklahoma City Thunder without Gilgeous-Alexander, and the question coming into this contest was how would the Florida product perform? After averaging ten points per game on 39 percent shooting from the floor, could the 21-year-old second-year guard make a scoring leap while improving his efficiency?

The Oklahoma City Thunder top the Denver Nuggets 112-101 behind Tre Mann’s 17 points

Tre Mann logged 17 points with two assists, a steal, and a block, and drew a charge on the defensive end. Mann shot 54 percent from the floor while going 3-for-6 from three-point land. He played with such a different motor on the defensive end, while still having the stamina to look incredible in isolation offensively. Is Mann in line for a serious breakout in year two? This was a great start.

Josh Giddey picked up right where he left off, scoring 14 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out nine assists on his way to two steals and a block with just four turnovers in 25 minutes of being the lead ball handler. Giddey shot 54 percent from the floor, and the most encouraging thing was how comfortable he looked beyond the arc where he went 2-for-2.

The lead changed hands nine times, but the Nuggets never grew a lead larger than five, while the Thunder’s largest lead swelled to 15. OKC out-rebounded the Nuggets by nine boards while shooting better from the floor and three-point land.

Jalen Williams had a fantastic pro debut in the NBA preseason, logging 10 points, five assists, a rebound, and a steal on 50 percent shooting from the floor. Williams was incredibly active on both ends and made winning plays that can translate to more minutes and trust even as a rookie from head coach Mark Daigneault.

Speaking of Daigneault, he said Aleksej Pokusevski looked improved during training camp last week, and Pokusevski certainly did. While nothing was eye-popping, that is almost the entire point. Pokusevski just looked like a normal NBA player that played under control and connected the entire unit.

Aaron Wiggins was able to check all the boxes again, and eventually, the OKC fanbase and media just have to admit he is a really good NBA player. It has been “it’s just his rookie year, it’s just the end of the season, It’s just summer league, it is just preseason” but when he plays this valuable consistently as a 23-year-old wing, this is just who he is. The OKC Thunder found value at pick 55 as Wiggins finished this game with 15 points, three rebounds, two steals on 4-for-4 from distance, and 62-percent shooting from the floor.

Who stood out to you the most in Oklahoma City’s road win?