Thunder Rookie Tre Mann’s Growth Spurt Led To Draft Success
Coming out of high school, Thunder rookie Tre Mann was a four-star recruit and top-35 player in the country. However, at 6-foot-3 and weighing only 170 pounds, he needed to build upon his frame to take that next step.
During his freshman season at Florida, Mann started in only four games and was average at best. He produced just 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 27.5 percent from deep.
From there, everything would change. Between his freshman and sophomore season, Mann grew two inches and gained 15 pounds.
This extra height and weight would ultimately skyrocket his production and later his draft stock.
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As a sophomore last season, Mann averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a starter and the team’s best player. He also increased his 3-point shooting to 40.2 percent on the season.
The 20-year-old guard who’s now 6-foot-5, 190 pounds is a member of the Thunder after being selected with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
During a press conference introducing their new rookies in Oklahoma City over the weekend, Mann was asked about this growth spurt and how it affected his game in year two.
“That couple couple inches that I grew over summer helped out a lot, but honestly I think what helped me the most as far as being more comfortable and being able to play I wanted to play my sophomore year with gaining weight,” said the Thunder rookie. “I put on about 15 pounds. I just felt more comfortable, being being able to get to the rim and playing my game on offense and defense. So I’d say the weight gain helped me out more.”
Still a young player, Mann also has the chance to still be growing even at this point.
“I mean my mom and dad are pretty tall, so hopefully I'm still growing. I haven’t been to the doctor lately,” said Mann jokingly.
Set to be a spark plug off the bench for the Thunder this season, Mann will get the chance to show his skills in Las Vegas next week in NBA Summer League.
