Terance Mann knew this might be a possibility after he arrived in Brooklyn. There were instances last season when he split time between the Clippers and Hawks, especially when he needed to be on-ball during offensive possessions. But as the oldest player on the youngest team in the league, scenarios could materialize where the Nets need their veteran to orchestrate the offense and set up baskets more frequently. It only took five games for that to happen.
During the Nets’ 117-112 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday, Mann collected a team-high six assists along with 11 points. Head coach Jordi Fernández tasked him with being on-ball, especially down the stretch, as Mann and guard Tyrese Martin earned closing minutes over rookies Egor Dëmin and Ben Saraf. He finished with the best net rating of the young season (11.7).
Across his 30 minutes, Mann issued a reminder that when the Nets inevitably encounter growing pains during this tank-defined rebuild season, his ability to handle the ball and initiate offense can provide a much-needed jolt.
“I mean, [Fernández] warned me that it might be that,” Mann told The Post on Thursday while attending a Raising Cane’s event in Times Square to help unveil a 2,741-pound carved pumpkin that set New York and United States records. “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.”
Standing under a canopy tent next to 24-year-old Nets teammate Ziaire Williams on Thursday, Mann joked that at 29, he doesn’t feel old just yet. “These guys don’t give me the chance to feel too old,” Mann said.
But in his seventh NBA season, Mann—a second-round pick in 2019—ended up on a Nets team that drafted five rookies in April and has already ushered in an era focused more on what the young players could become years from now, rather than what the present team looks like. Losses are expected. The word “tanking” has become normalized.
That doesn’t mean Fernández won’t try to win games and won’t insert players into his lineup and rotation giving him the best chance to succeed. Mann possessed the “energy I wanted to play with” on Wednesday, Fernández said postgame, which is why he operated with the ball so much.
Early in the first quarter, Mann curled to catch a pass, drove into the paint, and dished a pass to Nic Claxton that led to an and-1 when Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis slid over to help.
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To start the third quarter, Mann either scored or assisted on six of the Nets’ first eight baskets, while also adding a steal that helped trim their deficit from 13 to six. Late in the fourth quarter, after checking back in as part of Brooklyn’s closing group, Mann fueled the Nets’ comeback attempt by driving into the paint and dishing a pass to Martin on the right wing for a 3-pointer.
“Terance has a good overall feel for the game,” Fernández said Wednesday. “He does a little bit of everything, and I like when he’s aggressive, when he gets assists, when he gets to the rim, and when he sprays the ball.”
Mann, in a way, helped contribute to the Nets’ youth movement. They acquired him from the Hawks along with the rights to first-round pick Drake Powell during a three-team trade in June. Brooklyn was incentivized to take on Mann’s three-year, $47 million extension he inked with the Clippers, which kicked in this season.
On paper, at least, there’s some stability Mann could provide. He won’t hit free agency again until after the 2027-28 season.
But the nature of a rebuild means no role is guaranteed, and no roster spot is ever stable. Trades happen, and assets are dealt for draft capital. Mann, potentially, could be in Brooklyn for just a limited time.
Until that juncture arrives, Mann remains the oldest player on one of three winless teams. Moments like Wednesday’s showcase the value he can still provide in the present, even if the Nets’ vision remains focused on the future.
“Just being able to bring that energy,” Mann said Thursday. “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.”
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