There’s a good chance Mann becomes a really important player on the Thunder in a few years when they’re ready to be a playoff team once again. “The duration of his career will come down to that end of the floor,” said Daigneault earlier this season. However, it’s his defense that will determine his ceiling as a player. It seems clear that scoring will come natural for Mann as he continues to get more experience at the NBA level. He’s also been consistent in his 3-point shooting at this level, knocking down 35.0% of his attempts from beyond the arc. While he plays a much different role when playing up, Mann has been solid while averaging 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per 36 minutes through 12 games.
Splitting time between the G League and the NBA, he’s also been given a fair amount of time playing up with the Thunder. Through six games in the G League thus far, Mann has averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest while shooting 35.5% from deep. “Showing that I can be competitive on defense and make plays on offense.” “I feel like it was a big part of gaining confidence in myself,” said Mann following his 30-point night. In fact, he recently notched an extremely efficient 30-point performance. It’s paid off to this point, as Mann is starting to look extremely comfortable with the OKC Blue. You get stronger by testing yourself,” said the head coach. “You don’t get stronger by lifting ten pound weights. To Daigneault, sometimes improvement for young players like Mann comes from just being on the court, rather than behind the scenes in the weight room. Regardless of the level of competition, experience is always a good thing. Rather, it’s an opportunity to showcase his skills while getting more comfortable with a faster pace of play. To the Thunder front office, this isn’t a demotion. Given how many young guards there are on the roster in Oklahoma City, a more targeted method of development has been implemented for Mann. Rather than competing with guys like Theo Maledon and Ty Jerome off the bench for minutes with the Thunder, he’s been given the opportunity to get valuable experience in the G League. Many first-round picks hit the ground running at the NBA level, but that’s simply not the case for him. To get to that level of production, the Thunder will need to be patient with Mann’s development. At his peak, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mann in the running for NBA Sixth a man of the Year at some point in his career.
0 kommentar(er)
