Tre Mann produced his fifth career game with at least 20 points on Friday but the effort was not enough as the Oklahoma City Thunder lost on the road to the Miami Heat.
Mann finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes of work as the Thunder dropped their eighth straight game. He converted on 10-of-19 shot attempts from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range, to help lead the Thunder.
The 18th pick scored 20 points in the second quarter alone, which set the Thunder franchise record by a rookie for most points in a period. It was also the most points scored by a rookie in a quarter this season.
“I thought his decisions on the catch were really good,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought he was ready to shoot immediately and read the closeouts and really played off the catch as well as he has in a while. He got it going there and kept us afloat during that stretch of the game.”
Florida Mann.@tre2mann3 | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/cColkP9ioi
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 19, 2022
Mann attributed the hot stretch in the second quarter to staying aggressive and being ready to shoot when the ball found him. He saw a couple of shots go in and that ultimately gave him the confidence to continue to shoot and take over.
He is in the midst of his best stretch of the season. Since scoring a career-high 30 points on Feb. 16, Mann is averaging 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 13 games. The team has given him a larger role as of late and the 21-year-old is producing.
The performance by Mann offered a glimpse into what he can bring to the Thunder. He is certainly still developing his overall game but has the tools necessary to eventually lead the Thunder on a nightly basis.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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