Our staff roundtable grades continue with a look at Terance Mann, a steady presence for the Clippers during the 2022 season.
Erik Olsgaard: B
Probably my harshest grade of the season, but it’s only because my expectations were sky high for Terance. Without PG for most of the season, and without Kawhi for all of it, Terance was thrust into a bigger role that didn’t let him spot up for open threes in the corner or float on the weak side short corner anymore for alley oops, without the two All Stars to attract all the attention. Unsurprisingly, Terance took fewer corner threes and converted fewer dunks, and his efficiency suffered as a result. But for a team lacking athleticism and struggling to convert in transition, Terance was still the Clippers’ only one-man-wrecking-crew, physical on both offense and defense. And with his normal role returning next year, the door is still wide open for Terance to take that leap we know he’s capable of.
Shapan Debnath: B-
Terance did… fine. Most of his per 36s line up with how he did last year, there was a lot of hype about him being a bit more dynamic of a playmaker coming into the season which were undone almost immediately. Eric Bledsoe was struggling as a starter, but Terance didn’t play well enough to take his position, and then with the Clippers ravaged by COVID and injuries, Terance picked up some steam and really played pretty well the rest of the year. Terance essentially revealed himself to be a connector and a pretty valuable one with unique Clipper traits such as athleticism, transition play, rim pressure, and active POA defense. Terance didn’t wow this year, but another good season of being exactly who he isn’t bad and it’s a lot of what the Clippers can use even when fully healthy.
Robert Flom: B+
I think it’s…. interesting that Luke Kennard is widely viewed to have had a very successful 2022 season while Terance Mann was a bit of a disappointment, considering both by and large held similar per 100 possessions numbers to their 2021 season. This is even more puzzling when Terance’s 2021 was considered a great success and Luke’s was a failure. Yes, yes, I know Luke played better than the numbers show, and that Terance’s very excellence in the last half of 2021 is what set expectations so much higher than Luke’s for 2022. Still, they had largely similar seasons in terms of providing similar production to the prior year but in much larger roles and with a lot more corresponding playing time. Therefore, I’m giving Terance the same grade I gave Luke, which is a B+.
Terance had a good 2022 season, providing point of attack defense, rebounding, some tertiary ballhandling, decent low-volume shooting, and devastating transition play to a team that needed all of those things. It wasn’t a breakout, but Terance played in the most games of any Clipper (81) and logged the second most minutes (2317, just a hair behind Reggie at 2337), and he provided positive value in a role much larger than expected with Paul George missing most of the season. Terance is an ideal playoff-level role player, and the Clippers having him under contract for three more years is great news for him and the team.
Randi Geffner: B
Terance didn’t have a breakout season, but to be honest I think his grade suffered due to unreasonably high expectations that he would somehow play every game like it was the epic Game 6 of the 2021 Utah series. Setting aside those unrealistic expectations, Terance delivered a pretty solid season, particularly considering how young he is and how crazy and unpredictable the lineups were due to Covid and injuries. Most of the time he could be counted on to bring passion and energy when the lineup was lagging, which doesn’t always translate into stats but is an intangible benefit to the team. Looking forward to more growth and energy from Terance!
Leave us your thoughts and grades on the 2022 season of Terance Mann below!
