After Tuesday’s practice, LA Clippers rookie Terance Mann shot around with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George — something Doc Rivers made sure to mention.
Look. We didn’t mean to write so much about Terance Mann. But with how well he’s been performing since joining the LA Clippers, it’s hard not to. And now, we’ve got more news on him.
Per reports, following Tuesday’s practice back in Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George invited Mann to shoot with them. Their decision to do so was significant, and it’s something that Doc Rivers called attention to.
From the sounds of things, this isn’t a typical thing for Leonard and George to do. But with how impressive Mann has been lately, Rivers called it “no surprise”, per the LA Times‘ Andrew Greif.
Greif also shared a video of the moment on Twitter, which has plenty of fans buzzing abut how important Mann could end up being to the team this season and beyond.
Doc Rivers called it “no surprise” that Kawhi and Paul George has rookie Terance Mann shoot with them after today’s practice. “They’ve accepted him,” Rivers said. pic.twitter.com/H8h5W2lFDJ
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) October 8, 2019
Obviously, it’s important to be wary of how much stock we’re putting into the 22-year-old rookie right now. The regular season hasn’t even started yet, and no one is sure what his role will be once it does. That being said, Mann has consistently impressed since the Clippers selected him in the second round of this year’s NBA Draft, and it’s clear that he’ll be in the rotation.
Mann burst onto the scene in July, when he lit up Summer League and posted a near triple-double in LA’s third game, against the Washington Wizards. Mann finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and he’s been getting plenty of hype ever since.
With the preseason kicking off last Thursday, many expected Mann to slow down a bit. The competition would be a lot stiffer now, and he wouldn’t be a focal point of the offense like he was back in July.
But again, Mann exceeded expectations. Through the first two preseason games, he’s averaging 7.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in roughly 23 minutes per game.
Still, it’s hard to put too much into that. It is just preseason after all, and a lot changes once the regular season begins. It’s worth noting, though, that we all said the same thing about preseason when Mann was still playing Summer League basketball.
The fact that Leonard and George have “accepted” Mann is the most validating thing we’ve seen so far. Typically, late-second-round selections are afterthoughts, and we all figured we’d be seeing a lot of Mann in the G League this season. Instead, he’s pushing for a spot in LA’s second unit — and may even start, depending on the team’s opponent/situation on a given night.
It’s too early to say just how good Mann is, and until he gets regular season minutes, that will continue to be the case. He’s exceeded expectations at each stage so far though, and if he plays as well as he has been once the LA Clippers get into the thick of things, then it might be time to start talking about Mann as one of the steals of the 2019 Draft.