How OKC Thunder's Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are approaching pivotal third NBA season

Hopes were high coming into the season for Thunder sophomores Tre Mann and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Mann was OKC’s assumed sixth man, armed with a lethal step-back jumper. And Robinson-Earl was an incumbent starter, a versatile big man with a dependable game.

But neither was in the Thunder’s rotation by the end of the season. It was Isaiah Joe who was the Thunder’s sharpshooter off the bench, and Arkansas rookie Jaylin Williams who passed Robinson-Earl on the center depth chart.

Mann didn’t shoot the three well enough to overcome his defensive limitations, and Robinson-Earl’s year was derailed by a severe ankle sprain that knocked him out of rhythm, even after he recovered.

In their exit interviews last month, Mann and Robinson-Earl faced similar questions. After stagnating as sophomores, how are they approaching the offseason entering Year 3?

With the Thunder’s talent pool deepening, and more draft picks on the way, players like Mann and Robinson-Earl will have to improve to justify their spots.

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Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s ‘ups and downs’ 

When Jeremiah Robinson-Earl sprained his right ankle in mid-December at Dallas, who could have foreseen that he wouldn’t return until mid-February?

“When I was out it was tough just watching the games but still being supportive of the team, then having to be back and having a hard time finding that flow,” Robinson-Earl said. “You just have to stick with it. There’s a lot of ups and downs.”

Of Robinson-Earl’s 20 starts, all but two of them came prior to his ankle injury.

“It was definitely tough,” Robinson-Earl said of regaining his form. “I think as a competitor you always want to be at your best and you know what you’re capable of, and sometimes it doesn’t happen and you just have to figure it out.”

For the season, Robinson-Earl averaged 19 minutes per game, down from the 22 minutes he averaged as a rookie.

His 3-point percentage dipped slightly, but his overall field goal percentage increased from 41% to 44%. His assist-to-turnover ratio improved, but his rebounding rate fell.

Overall, his win shares and value over replacement player (VORP) improved from his rookie season, which counteracts the common narrative that Robinson-Earl regressed. It just seemed that way compared to the leaps so many of his teammates made.

Robinson-Earl, the 32nd pick in the 2021 draft out of Villanova, has a $1.9 million non-guaranteed contract for next season. He has a $2 million team option in 2024-25.

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Tre Mann’s ‘toughest year’ ever

In five preseason games, Tre Mann averaged 16 points while shooting 53% from 3-point range.

Small sample, sure, but Mann’s preseason performance reinforced why so many people picked him as a breakout player.

The breakout never came, though.

Mann shot 39.3% from the field, the exact percentage he shot as a rookie, but his 3-point percentage fell from 36% to 31.5%. Mann averaged five fewer minutes per game as a sophomore than he did as a rookie.

Mann had nine DNPs (coach’s decision) in the Thunder’s final 20 games.

Among the 135 players who attempted at least 250 3-pointers, Mann ranked 128th in percentage, ahead of only Russell Westbrook, RJ Barrett, Jabari Smith Jr., Ja Morant, Malaki Branham, Paolo Banchero and Killian Hayes.

Mann’s shot looked pure, it just didn’t go in.

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“This was probably the toughest year I had,” Mann said in his exit interview. “I mean, I had a similar situation at Florida, but this was tougher on me.

“But like I said, my teammates and my coaches made it easier for me to manage.”

Teammate Aaron Wiggins, one of Mann’s close friends, made sure to have Mann’s back.

“Even if it wasn’t the year he wanted or expected, he never changed who he was as a person, his work ethic, what he does every day, day in and day out,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins, one of the Thunder’s best defenders, knows what Mann is capable of.

“When he’s going,” Wiggins said, “he’s almost impossible to stop.”

Mann, the 18th pick in the 2021 draft, will make $3.2 million next season with a team option for $4.9 million in 2024-25.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder: Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl approaching pivotal year