The Oklahoma City Thunder selected former Florida point guard Tre Mann with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft Thursday.
The Thunder selected Australian guard Josh Giddey with the No.6 overall pick earlier in the draft. Giddey and Mann join shooting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the OKC backcourt.
Mann served as Florida’s floor general in 2020-21. The Gainesville, Florida, native averaged 32.4 minutes a game in a breakout season.
The sophomore started all 24 games he appeared in and led the Gators with 16 points per game, improving on his 5.3 points per game the season prior. He also scored the most points by a Gator in a single game this past season when he dropped 30 against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Mann came to UF as a 2019 McDonald’s All-American and a five-star recruit according to 247 Sports.
Mann was more of a role player during his freshman campaign, averaging 17.8 minutes a game with just four starts. This was largely due to the presence of now-Gonzaga Bulldog point guard Andrew Nembhard.
Nembhard’s departure for Spokane, Washington, gave Mann full reign of the Gators’ offense, and he took advantage.
The significant bump in playing time led to Mann improving his overall shooting percentage from 35.6% to 45.9% and his three-point percentage from 27.5% to 40.2%. His second year under head coach Mike White ended with Mann earning a spot on the All-SEC First Team and foregoing his last two years of eligibility for the professional ranks.
Mann’s silky-smooth jump shot, ball handling and overall athleticism set him up for success in the modern NBA, according to Derek Murray of BasketballNews.com.
Contact Joseph Henry at jhenry@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @Josephhenry2424.
Joseph Henry is a fourth-year sports journalism major and is the Alligator's sports editor. He previously worked as senior news director, assistant sports editor, men's basketball beat reporter, volleyball beat reporter and golf beat reporter. He enjoys sitting down to watch a movie as often as possible, collecting vinyl and drinking Dr. Pepper.
