Terance Mann of the LA Clippers spoke to the media on being player rep.
In the new decade of LA Clippers basketball that started off with the team becoming true championship contenders, the leadership of young prospects hasn’t dissipated in the slightest thanks to Terance Mann.
In Tuesday’s press conference that featured head coach Doc Rivers and point guard Patrick Beverley, one of the shorter but more interesting interviews was with one of the newest LA Clippers players in Terance Mann. During the interview, Mann delves just a tad bit more into how he got into a leadership role on the team as the official Player Representative for the Clippers in the National Basketball Players Association.
On the topic of how Terance became the team’s PR, it was mostly based on luck, but alas, the rookie got to play a big role for the team in his first year. His official explanation was as follows:
"I got it, I think we were in Philly. We had an NBA PA meeting. Just being around all the time, the guys was just like, Why don’t we just put Terance there. So I got it there."
It seems to be a very Clippers-esque situation to give such a young prospect big expectations considering the organization’s past of using draft-picks over established players. Despite the idea that this role could go to anyone on any team, keep in mind some of the bigger names in the sport that share this role, players such as Kyrie Irving of the Nets, Danny Green of the Lakers, and Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers.
One of the bigger events that Mann talked about in his interview was the process of deciding whether the team would even head out to Orlando to play in the NBA’s Bubble. In a continuation from his previous response, Mann stated this:
"Then the process of voting to come here was a pretty long process. We talked about it probably on five different occasions on Zoom calls just to get everybody’s ideas about coming out here and stuff. Eventually we all got on the same page, wanted to win the championship."
How large Mann’s involvement was in the vote for the whole team to return is unconfirmed, but as the team’s representative, Mann would have had to put in work to rally the team around a return or a break from the season. A rookie leading the charge for one of the top teams in the league to return to play is a great story in and of itself.
Alongside him is the Alternative Representative in Mfiondu Kabengele, another first year that was drafted alongside Mann in last year’s draft. Both rookies came out of Florida State University as NBA hopefuls, and now both are leading the team off the court amongst proven NBA stars.
Mann also gave information on how his hand recovery is going.
More importantly, though, Mann also gave us some insight into how his hand is feeling after the surgery he underwent in March.
"My hand is [doing] pretty well. It was probably a six-to eight-week type deal just because we had so much time so I took care of it. I kind of went the long route because we were in quarantine, I had so much time to work on it.My hand is doing great right now. I’m back full-time, full contact."
With his hand becoming more comfortable over time, Mann will be able to get back out on the court in the limited minutes that the team needs him to play in order to give some of the veterans a much-needed break.
In his 271 minutes played, he had a final stat line of 56 points, 38 assists, and 33 total rebounds. With Landry Shamet‘s future in Orlando uncertain due to his COVID-19 diagnosis, Terance could come in handy for the Clippers as fourth and fifth options at the Shooting Guard positions. As for now though Mann is the 5th Point Guard and will see short stints on the floor in the playoffs, if at all.
In closing, Terrance Mann’s small insight into being the PR for a championship-caliber squad in his rookie year was an inspiring look into the future leadership that he might provide on the floor if the LA Clippers decide to keep him around to develop. His hand recovery is also a blessing to the team that needs all of its pieces ready for their July 30th match-up against the Los Angeles Lakers. One thing is for sure right now, the future is bright in LA thanks to the leadership of Mann and Mfiondu Kabengele.