The Clippers coach Tyron Lue had several choices to articulate his major five and his rotations around Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. And he chose to trust Terance Mannrather than Robert Covington or Nicolas Batum.
A way for the Californian strategist to make the 27-year-old player responsible and to reaffirm his attachment to him, while his name is very often mentioned in negotiations around James Harden. For Tyronn Lue, it is also a guarantee in terms of versatility, particularly in defense, with this ability to hold from position 1 to 4.
“We can start him at point guard, over Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and guys like that. Then, we can also play it on taller players if necessary. It’s just this versatility, being able to defend on a leader as well as a 2, a 3 or a 4. That’s what makes the most sense now.”, did he declare.
Making life easier for stars
If the Clippers seem determined to exclude Terance Mann from any possible negotiations, the player knows in any case that he can count on the support of his coach, who believes in him and does not want to see him leave.
“We love T-Mann,” added Tyronn Lue. “So it’s a pretty good position for him. It’s different when it’s a team that doesn’t want you and you can end up out of the league. But we love T-Mann, and he’s going to stay here. So we don’t worry about it. We stay away from speculation and the like, and I can tell you that it’s a good thing to be wanted like that.”
Nicolas Batum, who has also held this role before and knows its specificities, will be there to support him in assuming this new status. For the Frenchman, Terance Mann should easily do the trick.
“That’s going to be this role, he’s going to have to make sure these guys (Paul George and Kawhi Leonard) are living the good life.”notably slipped the French. “It will be easy for him because it’s easy to play this role. You have three guys (with Russell Westbrook) who will end up in the Hall of Fame after their careers, and Ivica Zubac is a good guy to play with. As far as basketball goes, it’s easy when you play with these guys.”
| Terance Mann | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | LAKE | 41 | 9 | 46.8 | 35.0 | 66.7 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.4 |
| 2020-21 | LAKE | 67 | 19 | 50.9 | 41.8 | 83.0 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 7.0 |
| 2021-22 | LAKE | 81 | 29 | 48.4 | 36.5 | 78.0 | 1.3 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 10.8 |
| 2022-23 | LAKE | 81 | 23 | 51.9 | 38.9 | 78.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 8.8 |
| Total | 270 | 22 | 50.0 | 38.3 | 78.4 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 8.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
