The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 16th season will commence on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls.
This season is potentially the most highly-anticipated Thunder season since the OK3 experiment with Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.
Following a promising 40-42 season, there were few disappointments. However, there was one consensus “disappointment” that most Thunder faithful can agree on, and that was Tre Mann, who didn’t show the same promise he did during his 2021-22 rookie campaign.
But don’t fret. I do not believe Tre needs to be shipped away. The talent is there, and so is the potential. He had a down season.
I’m providing you with three things I believe will maximize Mann’s career and time in OKC, plus will help improve the Thunder.
He needs to be OKC’s No. 1 bench scorer
Last season, Mann was eighth in scoring on the Thunder, at 7.7 points per game in 17.7 minutes. Isaiah Joe (9.5), Aleksej Pokusevski (8.1), and Kenrich Williams (8.0) averaged more than Mann, which shouldn’t be.
Mann is the more dynamic, all-around scorer out of that group. When Mann was drafted, he was mentioned as a multi-dimensional scorer. We’ve only seen that in flashes.
Keeping his confidence up
Others may not notice, but I do. His confidence last year was shot. I’m not sure if it was the public scrutiny, the basic feeling of pressure, or him getting inside his head after not playing his best string of games, but for scorers specifically, the key is confidence.
We love a confident Tre Mann.
Keep improving as a distributor
Tre Mann is a point guard at heart. Yes, he’s a scoring point guard, so oftentimes he’s lumped in as a combo guard, but he’s a point guard. The easiest way for him to see his 17.7 minutes per game increase is by displaying more than just scoring prowess.
During his rookie season, he displayed multiple facets to his game, from scoring, defense, and distributing. These are things he needs to show in his third season if he wants the opportunity to stay on this highly-talented and competitive roster.
