The Philadelphia 76ers own the 28th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The following will provide details on potential Sixers draft pick, Tre Mann.
With the 28th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select…Tre Mann? Assuming the pick is retained, the prior sentence could become a reality on the night of July 29th.
Entering the offseason with a presumably undesirable amount of roster uncertainty, Daryl Morey will attempt to extract useful value from this draft class. Florida guard Tre Mann seemingly fits the Sixers’ needs while having a realistic chance of being available in the late first round.
Getting to Know Tre Mann
The 6-foot 5-inch combo guard is native to Gainesville, Florida. The 2019 McDonald’s All-American spent his high school years at The Villages Charter Schools. Ranked #31 in ESPN’s Top 100, Mann ultimately chose Florida over Kansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Mann’s height allows for versatility between the two guard positions. Additionally, he possesses a slithery ability to break down opposing defenses and get to the rim. Although the lack of explosiveness is evident by his frequent play under the rim, the second-year Gator displayed a tendency to beat his defender one-on-one with relative ease. Despite a less-than-inspiring assist-to-turnover ratio and defensive inconsistencies, the three-level shooter could find a role as a valuable ball-handler/floor spacer in an NBA rotation.
Mann at Florida
As a 6-foot 4-inch, 172-pound freshman, Mann was sparingly used. Seeing just shy of 18 minutes of playing time per game, his production was pedestrian. The current 20-year-old grew an inch and added 18 pounds of muscle in between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Unsurprisingly, the gained mass directly correlated with Tre’s on-court production. In a recent interview with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Mann elaborated on that,
“I felt a lot different when I gained those couple of pounds. I guess that kind of helped my game more than the height did.”
More specifically, he averaged 32.4 minutes per game as a sophomore while accumulating 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. The scoring threat also shot 83.1% from the line on 3.7 attempts per game and 40.2% from three on 4.7 attempts per game.
According to the University of Florida men’s basketball website, Mann’s scoring average jumped 10.7 points between his freshman and sophomore seasons, which broke Joakim Noah‘s 2005-06 Gator record of a 10.6 point scoring rise in-between seasons over the past 25 years. Leading the team in scoring and assists last season, Mann was named All-SEC First Team by the coaches and Second Team by The Associated Press.
Tre Mann’s Fit With The 76ers
The Sixers’ guard depth has been notoriously paltry for years. That theme remained unchanged in the most recent playoffs, primarily once an injury forced Danny Green to the sidelines. Adding a playmaking floor-spacer in Tre Mann would help strengthen the team’s backcourt rotation. Drafting a young contributor on a rookie contract could help Morey maximize the team’s odds of winning a championship. More specifically, Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz are entering free agency, causing the need for rotation guards to be as significant as ever. Even if Korkmaz and Green are retained, the urgency for increased perimeter creation remains.
On July 29th, will the Sixers find Tre as their man, or will another route be chosen? For more Philadelphia 76ers, NBA Draft, and other Philly sports coverage, visit PhillySportsNetwork.com!
