Brooklyn Nets forward Terance Mann came to the Nets this offseason as part of a trade from the Atlanta Hawks that allowed general manager Sean Marks to have another 2025 first-round pick. While Brooklyn was doing Atlanta a favor by taking on Mann’s salary, he was still expected to be a contributor whose role probably would increase as the season went on.
“I mean, [Fernández] warned me that it might be that. In some games, I might have to be on-ball. Some games, I might have to be off the ball, so I’m kinda ready for whatever,” Mann said of what he was told by Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez prior to coming to the team, per Andrew Crane of the New York Post. Much has been made about the Nets’ five rookies, but veterans like Mann have been key for the team to begin the 2025-26 campaign.
“Just being able to bring that energy,” Mann continued while explaining what he brings to one of the youngest teams in the NBA this season, per Crane. “That’s kinda what I feel like my role could be on this team. It’s only game five. That was only game five, so just feeling it out, seeing what I need to bring to the team. [Wednesday] night, it was assists.”
Mann, 29, is on track to have the best season of his seven-year career as he’s averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 56.4% from the field and 36.8% from three-point land. The last time that Mann has put up these kind of numbers was during the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Clippers when he was sixth in points per game for a Clippers team that finished with a 42-40 record and eighth place in the Western Conference that season.
Granted, Brooklyn isn’t expected to have anywhere close to that kind of success this season, but that doesn’t mean that Mann can’t take on more of the slack on such a young team that’s in the early stages of rebuilding. Given that Mann knew that his role could expand depending on what the Nets were able to get out of their rookies, he seems to be handling the increased role well and is willing to do whatever it takes for the team to win games.