This Charlotte Hornets player who once appeared to be a rising star has become a major issue.
Last season, Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann got off to a very impressive start in what was supposed to be his first full year with the team.
However, injuries sidelined him after just 13 games, during which he averaged 14.1 points and three assists over 24.5 minutes a night on 43.5/40.0/90.5 shooting splits.
Although it was a small sample size, Mann appeared to be on his way to becoming an integral part of the Hornets' young nucleus moving forward, a group that included LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
However, Mann has had anything but a positive impact on Charlotte this season, and with Coby White still yet to make his Hornets debut after coming over in a trade deadline deal earlier this month, Mann is becoming more and more of an issue.
On the season overall, the 25-year-old is registering seven points per game while shooting 36.3 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three-point range. He owns a true-shooting percentage of 46.8 percent, he is logging minus-0.013 win shares per 48 minutes and he lays claim to a minus-15.6 net rating.
Mann has been nothing short of abysmal, but because the Hornets lack guard depth behind Ball after jettisoning Collin Sexton in the White deal, head coach Charles Lee has been forced to play Mann.
Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.The 25-year-old was originally selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft and spent two-and-a-half seasons there before being dealt to Charlotte in February 2024.
Mann has never been a beacon of efficiency, posting lifetime 40.4/34.7/79.4 shooting splits, but he has never been quite this bad.
Right now, the University of Florida product is costing the Hornets games, and if he continues playing big minutes, it could end up sabotaging Charlotte's playoff hopes.
The Hornets had won 10 of 11 games heading into the All-Star break but had lost their first two games out of the hiatus before facing the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Is Mann the sole reason for Charlotte's losses? No, but he has been playing legitimate minutes off the bench and hasn't been producing. In fact, he has been hurting the team more than anything else.
The Hornets still don't seem to have a timetable for White, who is nursing a calf injury that seems to be a bit more severe than Charlotte initially anticipated.
Lee and Co. better hope that White is back promptly if the team wants to make the postseason, because giving Mann significant playing time is only going to inhibit the Hornets' chances at this point.
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