Terance Mann got back into the rotation and what do you know… he made a difference!
Terance Mann was one of the unsung heroes of the Clippers’ Game 7 victory over the Mavericks in the first-round, playing 26 minutes off-the-bench and scoring 13 points, but in the first two games of this series against the Jazz, Mann only played a combined 9 minutes.
When asked about why Mann did not see more time in Game 2 of this series, head coach Ty Lue simply stated that Terance Mann was just “out of the rotation.” Whatever this meant, it seemed like Mann was back in the rotation in Game 3 for the Clippers, seeing the most minutes out of any bench player for L.A. in this game (22 minutes) and posted a plus-minus differential of +21 for the game, the second-highest on the team next to Nicolas Batum’s +24 in the starting lineup.
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Given his physicality and his athleticism, Terance Mann is one of the most underrated defenders the Clippers have on the wing and in Game 3, he was great doing a little bit of everything for the Clippers. From racking up 4 assists, to forcing the ball out of his defenders hands, to creating some positive energy for Los Angeles on both ends of the court, Mann helped the Clippers in numerous ways, which is why he needs to be a focal point for them moving forward.
Rajon Rondo is an experienced veteran that has played well at times for the Clippers (not in this series however), and Patrick Beverley was solid in his 16 minutes in Game 3, but Terance Mann needs to be the first guy off-the-bench for the Clippers in this series because of how well he can defend virtually every position.
He never backs down from anybody and with his ability to take one of Utah’s core players out, in terms of making a difference offensively, he may be the most effective player on this Clippers’ roster next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
One crazy stat to show just how good Mann has been for the Clippers in the postseason comes from Shane Young of Forbes Sports.
While he may not be a guy that can get hot in terms of scoring and post 20+ points off-the-bench, Terance Mann does a lot of the “little things” to help his team wins games, which is why he needs to be in every single rotation for the Clippers from here on out in the postseason.
