The Atlanta Hawks have had their best defensive season of the Trae Young era, and they doubled down on their commitment to defense at the trade deadline by shipping Bogdan Bogdanovic for Terance Mann.
When they traded for Mann, the Hawks knew what they were getting: two-way versatility and backcourt depth. However, Mann has struggled to make much of an offensive impact since joining Atlanta.
In five games as a Hawk, Mann has averaged 5.2 points while attempting just 4.5 shots per game. In Atlanta’s latest 148-143 loss to Detroit, Mann took (and made) one field goal attempt and missed both of his free throw tries. Mann’s efficiency has not been the problem – he just hasn’t played aggressively enough.
The former Clipper could do wonders for his new team by playing with more confidence on offense. Since his Atlanta debut, he has accumulated the worst plus-minus on the Hawks by far. With a negative plus-minus in four of his five games, Mann has posted a -31 mark across that stretch. The second-worst plus-minus during those five games is a -12 mark for Caris LeVert, who still posted a positive plus-minus in three of the games.
Terance Mann should have a more defined role with the Hawks
The Hawks have gone 2-3 with Mann on the team, but they could turn their fortunes around with improvement from their new combo guard. Mann should carve out a more defined role with Atlanta than he did with Los Angeles. With the Clippers, Mann found himself in and out of the starting lineup. Mann bounced around from 30-plus minutes to less than 20 minutes in a reserve role to even the occasional healthy scratch.
With the Hawks, Mann will serve as a clear backup point guard to Ice Trae. He and LeVert can both rotate between different positions on the wing, and Mann is a versatile enough defender to guard multiple positions on a nightly basis.
In a February 7 press conference about the trade deadline, Quin Snyder discussed Mann's potential as a two-way force for Atlanta.
“In Terance’s case, his versatility is something that you’ve seen for years,” Snyder said. "His ability to guard multiple positions, knock down shots, and compete on both ends of the floor.”
While deadline additions LeVert and Georges Niang have already put together offensive explosions for the Hawks, Mann is yet to produce a signature scoring performance. The 28-year-old has taken zero 3-pointers in three of his five outings, and he has not attempted more than five shots in any game. In the Pistons loss, Niang took more shots (20) in one game than Mann has taken in his young Hawks career (19).
Atlanta plays with the second-highest pace in the NBA, attempts the fourth-most shots in the NBA, and ranks in the top half of the league in 3-point makes and attempts. Mann won’t fit the Hawks’ style of play with too quiet of an approach.
While Mann can still excel as a defensive specialist, he doesn’t need to completely minimize his offensive aggression to achieve this. With the Hawks in contention for a playoff berth or higher seeding in the play-in tournament, Mann will have key chances to step up down the stretch of Atlanta’s season.