ESPN’s Zach Lowe showed Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Tre Mann some love as he was as subject in his latest “10 NBA things” column on Friday:
“He has dozens of subtle tricks — hesitation dribbles, shoulder fakes, weird ways of angling his body mid-dribble — to keep defenders off-balance, so they can’t mirror his steps and momentum. He strings them together with predatory intent. He knows what’s coming, but you don’t.”
“Mann’s smart footwork has made him a step-back-3 menace; he’s 13th in made step-back 3s, and he’s 26-of-67 on them, per Second Spectrum.
Mann hasn’t gotten to orchestrate a ton alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, but he’s been dishing of late with Giddey out; he has 20 dimes in his last 5 games. Mann has the smarts to grow into a secondary playmaker on a good team.”
Lowe used a possession against the Sacramento Kings where he was a pick-and-roll maestro as he uses De’Aaron Fox’s knowledge against him and tricks Domantas Sabonis next in order to create an easy look at the basket for a cutting Vit Krejci.
It’s nice to see Mann get some national attention from one of the most prominent NBA media figures. The 18th overall pick has played great recently with backcourt injuries hindering the Thunder and has shown flashes of being a great secondary scoring guard.
