Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (illness) will be available for Tuesday's matchup against Orlando. He's won a bout with an illness, shaking off a questionable tag. Mann has produced a number of good performances for the Hornets since joining the team in February, but things could get tricky for him on Tuesday. Led by Jalen Suggs, the Magic are a defensively solid team, and Charlotte's backcourt could struggle to produce their regular numbers.

Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (groin) is back in action ahead of Wednesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The young guard will make his return to the court following a three-game absence due to a groin injury. Before going down, Mann was playing over 30 minutes per game on most nights. He hasn't been a great fantasy asset, but he does enough to warrant rostering in certain fantasy formats. Fantasy managers who have Mann rostered can get him back in their lineups on Wednesday.

Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (groin) has been listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against Memphis. He could be out for a fourth consecutive contest due to a right groin strain. Mann had gained a lot of momentum over several weeks before suffering the injury. The 23-year-old has posted 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals since arriving in Charlotte. His absence has given a big boost to Vasilije Micic, while Grant Williams has also received a larger role, starting all three games Mann has missed. However, Wednesday's matchup isn't a good one for the Hornets players, as the Grizzlies, despite all of their flaws, are ranked just outside the top 10 in defensive efficiency.

Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (groin) isn't expected to play on Monday versus the Pistons. The 23-year-old has played well in his 11 games in Charlotte, averaging 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals. But he's missed the Hornets' previous two contests because of a groin strain. Nevertheless, with Mann heading toward another absence, Vasilije Micic could be in line for another opportunity to start. Micic had a double-double with five rebounds against the Nets on Saturday, so he should remain in nearly all fantasy lineups if Mann doesn't suit up.

Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (groin) won't play on Friday versus Washington. Heading into Friday, Mann was initially regarded as questionable for the game. Vasilije Micic will be the biggest beneficiary of Mann's absence. He's already broken into the starting unit due to a number of other injuries, and Micic's all-around involvement in Charlotte's play is set for a further boost on Friday. The former EuroLeague star has averaged 15.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists across the last three games.

Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (groin) is considered questionable for Friday's matchup versus Washington. He's on the injury report with a left groin strain. Mann has started 11 straight games with the Hornets since arriving from Oklahoma City in the Gordon Hayward trade. The 23-year-old has played well, posting 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals in 30.5 minutes. Charlotte's recent injuries have given Vasilije Micic a big lift, and Mann's absence would boost his fantasy appeal even further. Bryce McGowens should start to sneak into the rotation more often as well.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann (illness) is available ahead of Thursday's game against the Utah Jazz. Mann was one of four players on this team added to the injury report due to an illness. Mann has been cleared to play, but there's no guarantee he gets much action during this contest. He sat out their last game, but could have a role off the bench with Luguentz Dort (illness) ruled out for this contest. Regardless, Mann won't play enough to warrant streaming in most fantasy formats.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann (finger) will miss the remainder of the summer league with a small avulsion fracture in his right middle finger. He's not expected to miss that much time as it was reported that he'll return to basketball activities in two weeks. Mann was having a solid stretch of summer league games minus the turnovers. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game across 4 games. He'll definitely earn some time in the guard rotation this coming season.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann continued his brilliant play in the Summer League when he dropped 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal while shooting 7-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-10 from deep on Thursday. He has now scored 20 or more points in all three of the team's summer league games so far. He's slated to be the backup guard behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, which is a big piece to have coming off of the bench. He could play his way into fantasy relevance in deeper leagues this coming season.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann scored a game-high 28 points in Wednesday's Summer League loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The 22-year-old went 10-for-14 from the field and 2-for-6 from deep while adding four boards, two assists, and a steal. Unfortunately, he did have five turnovers, which wasn't a good look, but it was still a solid showing, nonetheless. Mann has played well during his time in Utah, averaging 24 points, five rebounds, and two assists. While he still has plenty of things to work on, he should get consistent minutes off the bench in 2023-24. Mann might also get chances to start, so he should draw streaming interest from those in redraft formats during the season.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann made his presence felt all over the court in Monday's 95-85 win over Utah in the Summer League, putting up 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting and logging seven rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block. Mann had a slow start with only three first-quarter points, but he got better as the game progressed and his work included a fantastic 4-for-8 effort from downtown. The former first-round pick already has two NBA seasons under his belt and Mann has been solid when given opportunities, but it's tough for him to earn playing time, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey logging most of the backcourt minutes in OKC.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann (back) is available for Monday's game against the New York Knicks. Originally, the Thunder had Mann ruled out for this game, but it appears he's feeling good enough to play. However, it's unlikely he gets enough playing time to make an impact in fantasy leagues with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey healthy. Fantasy managers in deep leagues might want to keep an eye on Mann, but he won't offer much upside at the moment.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann (back) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Boston Celtics. The young guard is dealing with lower back soreness, so the team has decided to take the cautious approach and rest him. He suffered the injury during Sunday's contest, so it's not surprising to see the team being careful here. Aaron Wiggins and Jalen Williams should see a boost in playing time with Mann on the sideline. Between the two, Wiggins is the better fantasy option, but neither are great choices.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann had his third-year option exercised by the team on Saturday. The No. 18 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft averaged 10.4 points in 60 games last season. However, as a starter, he averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals in 26 games. Mann is expected to come off the bench this season, so the 21-year-old probably won't be a routine fantasy producer in any format, although he'll occasionally have some productive showings.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence. ... [More]

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it? Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA.Plus, I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games, or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2022 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2022-23 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence. ... [More]

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann (knee) exited Wednesday's Summer League game against the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter. He was taken to the locker room and appeared to be limping, potentially favoring his knee. We should know more about his ailment soon. Mann was extremely active in Wednesday's game before exiting. He logged 27 minutes and racked up 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds while shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range. We saw during his rookie year last year that if he can receive sufficient playing time, he'll put up some solid scoring numbers. It remains to be seen how many minutes he'll get this year, but he's a name to keep on your radar heading into draft season this fall.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The rookie guard will miss another game and could very well be done for the season. The Thunder are playing for draft position at this point, so no reason to risk the health of their young guard. Zavier Simpson and Vit Krejci could see 30-plus minutes, but are only low-end streaming options at best.

Oklahoma City Thunder point/shooting guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) and Tre Mann (hamstring) have been deemed unavailable to play in Wednesday's contest vs. Utah. Gilgeous-Alexander's season comes to a close due to right ankle soreness, while Mann has been down with a strained right hamstring since March 26. The Thunder backcourt has been ransacked by injuries throughout the year, leaving Theo Maledon, Zavier Simpson, and Vit Krejci to see the vast majority of minutes over the final three games of the year. Barring an update saying otherwise, fantasy managers can anticipate Mann missing the rest of his impressive rookie campaign.