Terance Mann Draws Praise From Nets Teammates

The Brooklyn Nets helped facilitate a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics to the Atlanta Hawks during the offseason.

In the deal, the Nets took on Terance Mann and the $47 million salary he's due over the next three seasons and the No. 22 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which turned into Drake Powell.

The Hawks may have needed to send the Nets a draft pick to entice them to bring Mann into a rebuilding situation, but the Brooklyn kid has seemingly provided a ton of value to this group, not just on the court, but off it as well.

"Terance Mann was a, was a great great great guy for this group," Egor Demin said on an episode of From The Logo with Jimmer Fredette. "I'm really happy we got him, and I get to know him a little bit more and he's not the loudest one, but he knows what he's talking about when he does. That's for sure."

The Nets set the tone early in their most recent game, a 119-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. A large part of the reason was due to Mann taking the initiative early and being an active presence on many of the offensive actions.

"He's like a do it all player," Nic Claxton said following the game. "I told him, you know, he struggled the past couple of games. We really need him to be aggressive, be assertive, look to score, look to get downhill and touch the paint because he's really good at getting everybody involved. So we really need him to play how he did tonight. Some shots didn't fall for him, but he was good."

To Claxton's point, the Nets simply looked like a better team each time Mann stepped on the floor, given Mann's ability to read a defense and make the smart play.

A contender may eventually need a swingman like Mann, who can get you a bucket, set up his teammates for clean looks, and get you a stop, but for now, the Nets should continue to involve Mann in a lot of offensive actions and let him take over as the leader and voice the young guns can learn from.

The Nets don't have a loud, emotional leader who will visibly hold teammates accountable at the cost of a confrontation, but Mann's calm demeanor could still help get many points and lessons across to the young group.