Nets' Oldest Player on the Roster has Brought Value Beyond Box Scores

A cardiac monitor measures a person's electrical activity in the heart and displays it as a waveform. Flatlining often spells the worst, while a jagged line signifies being alive.

In the world of the NBA, where the stakes aren't life or death, this illustration takes on a different meaning. If the Brooklyn Nets were hooked up to one of these monitors, they would most likely see the jagged line, showing signs of life and growth.

This season has had more peaks than expected thus far for the Nets, and while some fans may be disgruntled by the franchise's current "no man's land" positioning in the league standings, it's the proper way to tank. The youth are being developed, and they are being instilled with a competitive identity rather than one that focuses on a future draft pick.

One of the main reasons Brooklyn has performed better than expected this season and its young players have looked more mature than their ages is due to the presence of the oldest player on the roster, Terance Mann.

The Nets' most recent matchup was a 121-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, moving them to 11-24 in this campaign. Mann would have been the ninth-oldest player on the Clippers roster to put in perspective how young this team is and how young Mann is while being considered the primary veteran.

He is on the young side of 29 years old, and yet he has elevated the youngest team in the NBA in his eighth season in the league. Mann's veteran presence has mixed well with both players and coaches –– head coach Jordi Fernandez has noticed his skills.

"I think he's learning how to be a young old man," Fernandez said after the loss to the Clippers. "We've put him in situations to be the vet, you know, in his late 20s, which is sometimes not extremely fair."

Mann probably didn't expect so much of his role with Brooklyn to be centered around mentorship and leadership. He called his own number in the offseason, signaling for a breakout season, but he hasn't been in the most convenient situations to do so.

Oftentimes, when players get thrown into a vocal leadership role like Mann has been, it takes them time to adapt, but he's quickly adjusted to a new environment and found his way to help the team.

"Showing these guys the way to do things, communicating with them, holding them accountable and putting an arm around their shoulders if they need it," Fernandez said about the ways Mann's been a good vet.

While his season averages of eight points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game haven't lived up to personal expectations, he's put himself aside to help the Nets in many unseen ways.