Terance Mann can play
When Terance Mann showed out in Summer League earlier this year, we all tempered our reactions a bit. The level of competition there is obviously far inferior to what the 22-year-old rookie will see in the NBA.
Mann’s best Summer League performance was a near-triple-double effort against the Washington Wizards, in which he put up 15 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists — one dime short of what would have been just the third triple-double in Summer League history.
As the preseason drew nearer, Mann received more and more hype. Reporters attending LA’s training camp were all over Twitter saying how impressed the Clippers were with what Mann was pulling off. Before too long, it sounded as though he had solidified a spot as the primary point guard off the bench.
It wasn’t long before he checked into last night’s game against Houston, and right away, he picked right back up where he left things in Summer League.
Mann played a team-high 25 minutes in the loss, recording eight points, nine rebounds and four assists. In all honesty, it looked as though he has a little bit of Pat Bev in him — despite his size, Mann went into the paint to track down rebounds on several occasions and was never afraid of being the smaller man.
And while he did record just four assists, each was an impressive addition to the tally. Already, Mann seems to have great vision and an even greater understanding of where his teammates are going to be and how to get the ball to them.
Defensively, he did what we expected. He didn’t record any steals or blocks, but he was aggressive on the perimeter and made smart contests.
Time will tell if Mann is for real or not, but for now, he absolutely deserves the role that he’s played himself into. If he continues to be this impressive throughout the preseason, LA may seriously consider running him with the second unit.