Oct 5, 2025; North Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) pivots at the 3-point line in the third quarter at North Charleston Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Arthur Ellis-Imagn Images Arthur Ellis-Imagn Images

Hornets' guard Tre Mann gets massive praise from his former coach Mark Daigneault

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 12:08 PM ET

After spending three unfruitful seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder to start his career, Tre Mann joined the Charlotte Hornets midway through the 2023-24 season via trade as part of the Gordon Hayward deal.

While he was in OKC, Mann was trying to break through and stand out in a crowded room full of talented, young guards. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, and the move to Charlotte turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him thus far.

Just because things didn't work out for Mann in Oklahoma City doesn't mean that he didn't make an impression on his former coach, Mark Daigneault, who had some pretty hefty praise for the guard ahead of the preseason opener earlier this week.

Mark Daigneault gives Hornets guard Tre Mann a ton of praise

Ahead of the first of two meetings between the two teams in preseason play, Daigneault let everyone know how impressed he was with how Mann handled his turbulent time in OKC.

Mark Daigneault on Tre Mann's time in OKC:

"What stuck out most was towards the end of his time with us, his playing time had declined pretty significantly compared to where it was early on, and his commitment to the team when he’s a young player, he’s on his first contract.…
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 5, 2025

"There’s probably days where it wasn’t going exactly the way he wanted it to go, and yet he stayed so committed to the team and inside the team that I just gained a ton of respect for him. It’s one thing when you’re playing the minutes you want to play and having flickers of success, which he obviously had with us and has had here, but it’s quite another when you’re not getting your expectations met."

Daigneault continued to praise Mann's professionalism during his final season with the Thunder.

"For him to like I said commit to the team in the way that he did, I think said a lot about his personal character, and he has carved out a place inside of our program’s consciousness that not everybody has. I mean, he’s one of the guys still."

Tre Mann is looking to make an even bigger impression on the Hornets

With the new additions in Charlotte, Mann will have more competition for playing time, but he should still be one of the first few options off the bench for head coach Charles Lee. Before his back injury last year, he was making a serious case for Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 14.1 points, three assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game.