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Tre Mann Focused On Being More Than A Scorer With Wizards
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- Tre Mann Focused On Being More Than A Scorer With Wizards
(David Richard-Imagn Images)
Tre Mann was presented a new opportunity in August when he found out he was traded to Washington .
He reunites with general manager Will Dawkins, who was part of Oklahoma City's front office that selected him in the first round in 2021.
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Mann's had an up-and-down start to his NBA career, and now plays for his third team. 2025 wasn't particularly fruitful either, only playing in 53 games with fairly inefficient statistics. Mann shot only 36% from the field on just under six shot attempts per night.
He's always been known as a scorer. However, he knows he needs to become much more than that in Washington with a chance to impact the backcourt rotation.
"I feel like, in OKC and Charlotte, when I'm not scoring, my mindset wasn't to flip it on to defense or switch it to something else," Mann said on Monday. "It's been, 'How can I start scoring better?' Now, I've realized that I'm more of a complete basketball player. If I'm not scoring, I'm gonna get guys involved; I can defend."
Mann's role as a distributor hasn't always been consistent in his career. His best season as a playmaker came in 2023, when he averaged 4 assists per night across his time with both OKC and Charlotte. He only played in 41 games that season.
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Early 2024 brought forth the biggest set back for Mann, as he sustained a a severe lower back disc herniation, sidelining him for the rest of the year just 13 games into the season. It's likely his back injury played a role in his decreased production in 2025.
With a chance to serve as a veteran presence or leader, as he noted, Mann is ready to put that in the past and focus on finding his way into Washington's crowded rotation.
"Whether I'm playing or not, just being in guys ears, trying to help us win," he said. "If they want me to distribute, if they want me to score [or defend]; just whatever they ask me to do."
Defense has been a huge focus for the Wizards throughout their training camp, and Mann has taken notice with Thursday's preseason opener against the New York Knicks the first chance to prove it on the floor.
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"Just communication," Mann Said. "I feel like the first couple days it was a little bit down, but we emphasized it going through camp and I felt like the last day was really good."
One thing that has stood out about Mann in camp is his three-point shooting ability. He won the three-point competition in the Wizards' open practice, which saw him take home a trophy nearly as tall as him.
Mann is a career 34% three point shooter, but Washington hopes it can find him open looks in his minutes to increase his efficiency.
Where he fits in the rotation remains the question. With other young, capable ball handlers on the team in Bub Carrington and even Will Riley, Mann has to find what makes him impactful on the floor.
"Just doing the smaller things," Mann said. " Things that I'm not used to doing."
