Tag: Tre Mann

Player grades: Comeback attempt falls short in Thunder’s 117-115 preseason loss to Hornets

Player grades for the Thunder’s 117-115 preseason loss to the Hornets on Sunday:

Trailing in transition, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl caught the ball from Aaron Wiggins and had a chance to hit a layup to send Sunday’s preseason game into overtime.

Instead, the ball failed to go through the hoop and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s comeback attempt fell short in their 117-115 preseason loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

“Obviously we came up a little short, but I thought we came with it tonight,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on their effort.

Preparing to play on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, the shorthanded Thunder used their third preseason matchup to rest their starters and several key players.

Prior to the game, the Thunder elected to rest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe. Kenrich Williams (back spasms) and Aleksej Pokusevski (ankle sprain) were also ruled out.

The long list of injuries grew during the game as the Thunder ruled Cason Wallace — who started and had five points in eight minutes — out with a toe sprain in the second quarter.

With arguably their top-nine players out for most of the night, the Thunder used their loss to the Hornets as a chance to allow their depth players to play a heavy dosage of minutes.

Even without their starters, the Thunder offense didn’t miss a beat, scoring 115 points on 42-of-91 (46.2%) shooting. The ball movement was crisp as active off-ball movement and cuts helped OKC generate 30 assists on its 42 field goals.

“Offense was really good,” Daigneault said. “I thought we generated great rhythm. Worked together. Got our cutting in. Moved the ball side to side.”

For a third consecutive preseason game though, the defense continued to show leakages.

The Hornets scored 117 points on 46-of-88 (52.3%) shooting in their two-point win. Charlotte utilized 69-point middle quarters to help it enter the final frame with an 11-point lead. Without Holmgren, the Hornets scored 62 points inside of the paint.

The Thunder made it interesting in the fourth quarter, cutting the Hornets’ lead to as little as one point against Charlotte’s reserves. OKC had a pair of layup attempts in the final seven seconds that missed, which would’ve either given it a one-point lead or tied it and forced OT.

The Hornets were led by P.J. Washington, who’s grown a reputation for turning into Steph Curry when facing OKC. During an essential must-win game for the Thunder late last March in the midst of their Play-In push, he scored 43 points and played spoiler in the upset.

In a much less pressure-filled environment tonight, Washington had 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting and 5-of-8 shooting from 3 in 24 minutes. The Hornets elected to treat this game as a regular-season matchup with their starters playing 20-plus minutes.

LaMelo Ball had 16 points, six assists and six rebounds in 24 minutes. Terry Rozier finished with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and six assists in 26 minutes. 2023 No. 3 pick rookie Brandon Miller had eight points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Thunder were led by Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins in this exhibition. Williams received his first start of preseason and played the point center role. Wiggins — who is from North Carolina — had several fancy finishes around the rim for 16 points.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

OKC Thunder 3 goals: What Tre Mann has to accomplish in 2023-24 season

Assigning 3 goals Tre Mann can achieve this upcoming season.

In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.

Let’s assign three goals for Tre Mann, who is entering his third season. Last year could be categorized as a sophomore slump for him. The 22-year-old struggled with consistency and slowly fizzled out of the rotation as the season progressed.

Mann hopes to get his career back on track this season as he’ll fight an uphill battle for consistent playing time.

Mock trade has Nets trading second-round pick for Tre Mann

In a recent article by Bleacher Report, it was suggested that the Brooklyn Nets trade a second-round pick for Oklahoma City’s Tre Mann.

The Brooklyn Nets are entering the next phase of their offseason program now that the NBA 2K24 Summer League has come to a close. The Nets got to see players like Jalen Wilson and Noah Clowney show what they have against NBA-caliber guys and now, Brooklyn moves forward wondering what the roster will look like for next season.

After all of the moves that the Nets have made such as the trades of Joe Harris and Patty Mills to the signings of Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV, Brooklyn may still be wondering if they have enough to be a definite playoff team next season. There are some who consider Brooklyn’s offseason to be solid, but not spectacular.

What can the Nets do about that? Since Brooklyn is out of the running to trade for someone like Damian Lillard, is there another way to acquire a star-level to ensure that the Nets will be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference? A recent article by Bleacher Report suggests a trade that Brooklyn could make to improve its offensive capabilities:

Bleacher Report proposes a fresh start for Tre Mann in latest trade idea

Tre Mann could get a fresh start if this trade idea materializes.

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The NBA offseason has reached the slowest part of the year.

Most significant transactions have been made. Summer league is over. Free agency is mostly settled. Now, teams wait out the next couple of months before the start of training camp in September.

But just because we’ve reached the quietest portion of the NBA calendar, doesn’t mean moves still can’t be made. The trade market is open year-round, which means deals can still be struck.

Bleacher Report writers Grant Hughes and Dan Favale conjured up one new trade idea for all 30 NBA teams.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are featured in two trade ideas. The first involved a swap of Lu Dort and draft picks in exchange for O.G. Anunoby. The second involved finding Tre Mann a new home.

  • Details: The Thunder trade Tre Mann to the Nets for a Mavericks 2027 second-round pick.

The deal gives Mann a fresh start in Brooklyn. The third-year guard is swimming against the tide when it comes to rotation minutes in OKC; he is behind several other guards on the depth chart:

“Scooping up Mann reflects the existential limbo in which the Nets find themselves. He is expendable to the Thunder, who have officially buried him on the depth chart behind, at minimum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort and Cason Wallace. But Mann’s off-the-bounce shiftiness and shot-making will have value to another team that needs help at the point of attack.

Forking over a distant second-rounder is a worthwhile price of admission to the Tre Mann Experiment. Especially after his summer-league performance. The Nets needn’t give up anyone to make the math work. They can take Mann into part of the Kyrie Irving trade exception, and a one-for-none deal should intrigue Oklahoma City, which is drowning in guaranteed contracts at the moment.”

While this would be a bitter pill to swallow, this deal looks somewhat realistic on what a Mann trade would look like. The Thunder will spend the offseason evaluating their roster before making the necessary cuts, and Mann is likely near the bottom of the prioritization totem pole.

If the Thunder decide to move on from Mann, a team like the Nets could definitely make sense; they could provide him with consistent minutes.

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Report: Tre Mann out rest of 2023 summer league with finger fracture

Tre Mann is expected to return in two weeks.

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With four summer league games remaining, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be without one of their best players.

Tre Mann suffered a small avulsion fracture in his right middle finger, per multiple reports. He is expected to return to basketball activities in two weeks.

This marks the end of Mann’s tremendous summer. He averaged 20.5 points on 53.8% shooting overall and 46.4% from 3 in four summer league games. The third-year guard played above expectations and showed his potential as a go-to scoring guard.

After the injury heals, Mann will enter training camp and preseason with some nice momentum as he fights for a roster spot.

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Player grades: Cason Wallace impresses in 91-80 summer league win over Mavericks

The Thunder enjoyed a fun win that saw Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren and others shine.

Needing to attempt a heave to avoid a shot clock violation, Cason Wallace drained the 45-foot attempt that woke the afternoon crowd up in Las Vegas.

It was that kind of day for Wallace as he dazzled in his summer league debut with 20 points that included six made 3-pointers. The Oklahoma City Thunder enjoyed a 91-80 win over the Dallas Mavericks in a game that featured impressive performances from several notable players.

“It was just fun being out there,” Wallace said after the win. “The guys, they draw a lot of attention, so I had a lot of open shots.”

The Thunder were in control for most of the game as they entered halftime with a 48-40 lead and entered the final quarter with a nine-point advantage. 69 of OKC’s 91 points came from their starting lineup, including 49 points from the trio of Wallace, Chet Holmgren and Ousmane Dieng.

Led by Wallace, the Thunder blitzed the Mavericks with barrages of 3s as they shot 19-of-43 (44.2%) from outside. The offense was a well-oiled machine as OKC shot 32-of-69 (46.4%) from the field with 23 team assists due to crisp ball movement.

“I thought the ball movement was good, especially early in the first half,” Thunder summer league coach Kam Woods said. “And really, when we were good, I thought it was because of our ball movement. We obviously want to be a team that has a lot of playmakers on the floor.”

On the other hand, the Mavericks couldn’t get their offense going. Dallas shot an ugly 27-of-65 (41.5%) from the field and an even uglier 9-of-31 (29%) from 3. In three of their four quarters, they failed to score 20 points. Ball security also lacked as they committed 18 turnovers.

This game served as a nice reminder as to how deeply stacked the Thunder’s summer league roster is compared to the rest of the league. The Thunder are swimming in young prospects. Three of OKC’s starters were lottery picks within the last two drafts and the other two starters were a 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick who was the starting center in last year’s play-in team.

Just an absurd amount of young talent that summer league teams usually aren’t associated with.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks’ best player in this game was Jaden Hardy, who had 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting and six rebounds. The Mavericks’ two first-round rookies in Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper struggled — the former had four points and five rebounds while the latter had seven points.

As the Thunder continue to play more summer league games in the ensuing week, most of the notable players will start to dwindle — but for the one game where they all — minus Jalen Williams — played together, they looked like an unstoppable force who outmatched their counterparts.

“We have a great group of guys with a lot of different talents,” Holmgren said.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Ousmane Dieng flashes in 100-91 summer league win against Sixers

It was the Ousmane Dieng show against the Sixers in the SLC summer league finale.

Slipping off of a screen, Ousmane Dieng found a pocket in the dunker spot and softly feathered the ball inside the basket.

It was Dieng’s first of 10 buckets in an eventful night that saw the Oklahoma City Thunder dominate the scarcely-talented Philadelphia 76ers, 100-91.

“It was great experiences and I was really impressed with how guys competed every game,” Thunder summer league coach David Akinyooye said about their three Salt Lake City games

Monday was about Chet Holmgren’s return. Wednesday was about Tre Mann’s 28 points. So it only made sense that it was Dieng’s turn to have a summer night where he shined the brightest for OKC.

After a rough first 1.5 SLC summer league games, Dieng capped off his stay in Utah with a strong final game. The Thunder were without most of their notable players — as Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Cason Wallace were all out. This means the deck was cleared for Dieng and Mann to take over this game and dominate against inferior competition.

“I think I’ve been better every game in the last three games,” Dieng said. “… I think I got better yesterday and today.”

Despite the long list of players who were out, the Thunder made easy work of the Sixers, whose most notable player was 2021 first-rounder Jaden Springer.

Springer finished with 17 points, five rebounds and seven turnovers. Undrafted rookie Terquavion Smith also had 15 points and went 5-of-10 from 3 for the Sixers. Greg Brown III had 11 points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Thunder got off to a hot start that helped them build a 36-17 advantage following the first quarter. OKC continued to pile on and entered halftime with a 24-point lead. After only losing three points of their lead in the third quarter, the final 10 minutes essentially served as garbage time — until it wasn’t.

Despite leading by as many as 31 points, the Thunder had to earn this win late as Sixers made it interesting in the fourth quarter by cutting OKC’s lead to as little as five points. The Thunder escaped with the win and a 2-1 record in Utah, but the Sixers’ comeback efforts made them sweat it out a bit after being in control for the first three quarters.

Regardless though, if the Thunder would’ve blown a 31-point lead, it really wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things — summer league results are inconsequential and the individual performances of Dieng and Mann were enough to feel good about this game.

The Thunder wrapped up the SLC portion of their summer league schedule. OKC will now play at least five more games in Las Vegas.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Tre Mann shows out in 94-86 summer league loss to Grizzlies

Tre Mann scored 28 points in the summer league loss to the Grizzlies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s quest for a perfect summer league record sadly came to an end on Wednesday.

After an impressive win against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-86, in their second summer league game in Salt Lake City.

The Grizzlies won this game from outside, as they shot 17-of-38 from 3 (44.7%) — the 17 made 3s are an SLC summer league record. The Grizzlies were in cruise control for most of the game, as they opened up a 39-31 lead following the first quarter. The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points and were never seriously threatened by OKC for the entirety of the game.

“They started off pretty good and I thought like we were a little bit sluggish,” Thunder summer league coach David Akinyooye said.

The Grizzlies enjoyed a team-friendly performance that saw six of the 10 players that checked in score at least 10 points. Jake LaRavia led the way with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting and also went 4-of-9 from 3. Vince Williams Jr. also contributed with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds. Kenneth Lofton Jr. had 12 points and four rebounds.

Ball security was a big problem for the Thunder this game, as they were without Jalen Williams due to a left glut contusion. The Thunder committed 18 turnovers, which was dead even with their 18 assists. Chet Holmgren and Tre Mann combined for 11 turnovers. Grizzlies’ Jacob Gylard collected a savvy seven steals.

The turnover disparity led to the Grizzlies outshooting the Thunder by 13 attempts. But considering OKC shot a poor 10-of-34 (29.4%) from 3, who knows how big of a difference extra shots would’ve made for a team that struggled to get their offense going sans Mann.

As mentioned before, the results of summer league games are irrelevant. What matters is how highly-touted players perform against inferior competition. Despite the loss, Mann and Holmgren were excellent for OKC. Both are positive signs that make it easy to forget about the result.

Holmgren continues to show his defensive impact will be immediate, as his rim protection helped him collect three blocks. Considering how the Thunder played all of last season without a traditional big, Holmgren’s summer league has provided a nice preview as to what fans can expect from him with his elite defensive talents.

The Thunder will get a chance to quickly move on from this mundane loss as they play their final Utah summer league game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. After that, they’ll be on their way to Las Vegas to play their remaining five-plus games.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Chet Holmgren returns in 95-85 summer league win over Jazz

After nearly a year, Chet Holmgren made his return on the court.

Running toward the weak side to provide help, Chet Holmgren collected his fourth block of the night by two-hand stuffing Keyonte George’s drive to the basket.

By the end of the night, the Utah Jazz grew accustomed to being on the wrong side of Holmgren’s lengthy wingspan. The highly anticipated return of the 2022 No. 2 pick highlighted the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 95-85 win in their first summer league contest.

The Thunder headed into Monday’s game with a clear talent advantage across the board. OKC’s starting lineup consisted of last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up, the No. 2/No. 12 picks and a third-year guard.

By the end of the game, all five Thunder starters finished with a plus-minus of six-plus or better.

Meanwhile, the Jazz were without their top rookie, Taylor Hendricks, and the only notable players who suited up were Ochai Agbaji and George.

The talent gap became evident by halftime as the Thunder built a 59-43 lead thanks to a 43-point second quarter. That figure is even more impressive when you remember summer league quarters are 10 minutes.

The Jazz made it interesting in the fourth quarter with a 23-13 advantage, but the 20-point lead OKC entered the final frame with was enough of a cushion.

The Thunder enjoyed a hot night from 3; they went 13-of-31 (41.9%) beyond the perimeter arc. That effort was a much better night than Utah’s 9-of-34 (26.5%) effort from 3.

The Jazz were led by their two notable young players. Agbaji finished with 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting and nine rebounds. George had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Luka Semanic also had 13 points and six rebounds.

It was an impressive team win for the Thunder, but the result of summer league games are inconsequential. The more exciting part of Monday’s fun night involved the dominating showing of OKC’s young core and being able to finally watch Holmgren play after spending the entire 2022-23 season rehabbing his Lisfranc injury.

The return of Holmgren made this summer league game that much more special. If he ends up having as great of a rookie season as most anticipate, we can look back at this otherwise forgettable night as the beginning of Holmgren’s arrival after a one-year delay.

“It was great to be back with these guys, man. I love all of them. Let’s keep working,” Holmgren said about his anticipated return.

The Thunder are hoping this game was a sign of things to come for the foreseeable future in their marriage with Holmgren following a bumpy start. Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

2022-23 Thunder player grades: Tre Mann

Handing out a final grade for Tre Mann’s 2022-23 season.

The 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder’s season ended with the play-in tournament loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which means it’s time for reflection.

Being one of the biggest overachievers in the league, the Thunder finished with a 40-42 record after being predicted by many to have high lottery odds.

Now that the season is in the books, let’s go back and evaluate all 19 players who suited up for the Thunder this past season. Grades will be handed out to every player in terms of what their expectations were heading into the season and how they lived up to them.

The 11th player in this installment is Tre Mann, who struggled in his second season and never really found a groove to right the ship.

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(Editor’s note: We are starting individual grades for all players from the 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder. To access other reviews as part of this ongoing series, click here.)