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What to expect from Tre Mann in his return to the Charlotte Hornets

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Matt Alquiza | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 8:14 PM ET

Tre Mann is one of the most fun players to watch in the NBA.

He plays with an old-school, Allen Iverson inspired flair that is intoxicating to watch. Mann has a hiccup-quick first step and a tight handle that leaves defenders in his wake all over the offensive end of the court.

Before his 2024-25 campaign was cut short due to a debilitating back injury, Mann was receiving legitimate Sixth Man of the Year buzz. His per-game averages, 14.1 points (a career high), 3.0 points, and 2.9 rebounds weren't flashy, but they were impactful.

With a myriad of Charlotte's starters in and out of Charles Lee's early season lineups, Mann was a consistent force off the bench in the season's first month and he was on pace for a special sixth man scoring season before the injury bug bit him.

We were robbed of a special bench scoring season from Tre Mann.

Hope he’s able to get over his back problems this offseason - one of the most fun players in the league to watch pic.twitter.com/BORKIaHL34
— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) April 3, 2025

After testing the unrestricted free agent market, Mann re-upped with the Hornets on a three-year, $24 million deal that includes a team option for the third season. His $8M per season salary is on par with fellow veterans Jaylin Williams (OKC), Zeke Nnaji (DEN), Kenyon Martin Jr. (UTA), Kevon Looney (NOP), Tre Jones (CHI), Simone Fontecchio (MIA), and Max Christie (DAL).

It's not hard to fathom Mann being the biggest value of this crew.

What can Hornets fans expect from Mann in 2025-26?

More of the same.

It was short, 13 games short, but Mann looked great following his first full offseason as a Hornet. Now, with improved surroundings (a consistent theme I keep pointing to in these player previews) and a clean bill of health, how high can Mann rise?

The league's best two best bench scorers last season, Malik Beasley and Payton Pritchard, scored 15.3 and 14.0 points per game respectively.

With more ball handlers in the fold for Charlotte, it's safe to expect a downturn in overall scoring production from Mann in 2025 and beyond. I'm projecting the jitterbug point guard to average 13.4 points and 4.1 assists as a Hornet in 2025-26.

A healthy LaMelo Ball and the newly acquired Collin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Kon Knueppel will all take the ball out of Mann's hands. He may not stack as many defenders ankles in isolation this season like he did in his 13 games in 2024-25, but Mann will be afforded copious opportunities to attack advantageous matchups due to the wealth of ball handling talent that he will be surrounded with.

Like Ball and Miller, I'm expecting Mann's efficiency to go up due to the overall raising of Charlotte's floor with their new cast of characters. If man can marry his flair to efficiency, fireworks are likely to follow in 2025-26.