When Tre Mann first met Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, he sent him a 12-page playbook. For someone to learn such an extensive set of plays mid-season and without much practice, it can be a little overwhelming.
Mann jokingly admitted how much it was to take in and told Clifford to write down the third of the playbook that the team runs the most to get him through the three games leading into the All-Star break. In those three games, Mann improved with each outing, proving to be an all-around player averaging 13.7 points, 7.3 assists, and seven rebounds.
"Coming in the league, I had the reputation of just scoring," Mann said in Wednesday postgame press conference. "In OKC, that’s what it was, but I always felt like I added more to a team, that I can bring more to a team. Now I get that opportunity, so I’m just trying to go out there and show that I can do more than just score.”
The former first-round pick saw his playing time diminish each year since entering the league in 2021 with the Thunder. But here in Charlotte, Mann has made the most of his opportunity despite not having a full grasp of the offense or a true feel for how his new teammates play.
“He’s diligent," Clifford said. "It shows thought and it shows he’s going home and saying, ‘I want to be on top of stuff.’ I think for him, a lot of it is just confidence, getting a chance to play regularly. What he did tonight was he was in the middle of us getting off to a good start in the first quarter, and then the third quarter – which was the most important quarter of the game – he was right in the middle of the start of that, too.”
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