Jan. 20, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Terance Mann has been put into an interesting role with the Nets this season as he has been asked to be the veteran of the team, among other responsibilities. Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez has asked Mann to be willing to be on the ball more as the Nets are developing their point guards and he explains how different that has been for him.

“Totally different. For me, I haven’t had the ball in my hands seriously, since my rookie year. That’s when I played mostly point guard,” Mann said after Monday’s 126-117 loss to the Phoenix Suns. With rookie Egor Demin and guard Cam Thomas out of the lineup due to the team’s injury management program for both players, Mann was asked to share point-guard duties with rookie Drake Powell in the starting lineup.

“It’s been six years since I been on-ball for most of the game. So, a lot of different looks. Just a whole different ball game that I’m slowly getting used to,” Mann continued. “That’s really just a slow grind for me. I never know where I’m going to be, whether it’s playing mostly out of the corner or playing mostly on-ball. I’m just here to do my job and show these younger guys how to be a pro.”

Mann, 29, is averaging 7.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 34.0% from behind the three-point line in 37 games played in his first season with the Nets. Not only is Mann averaging a career-high in assists per game despite the fact that his usage rate (13.4) being below his career-average, showing how efficient he has been with the ball in his hands.

“You see the eight assists to one turnover, that’s elite. We trust him to be a situational point guard at times. I keep telling him to let it fly when you’re open,” Fernandez said after Monday’s loss to the Suns. “He made two of them [three-pointers]. So, he was great. Defensively, I think that his level of intensity and ball-pressure has gotten better, and I think he did a really good job. His voice is growing.”

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