Veteran Terance Mann proving on-ball value among Nets youth movement

Terance Mann knew this might be a possibility after he arrived in Brooklyn.

There were instances last season — when he split time between the Clippers and Hawks — when he needed to be on-ball during offensive possessions. But as the oldest player on the youngest team in the league, scenarios could materialize when the Nets need their veteran to orchestrate the offense and set up baskets more frequently.

It only took five games for that to happen.

During the Nets’ 117-112 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday, Mann collected a team-high six assists along with 11 points and was tasked by head coach Jordi Fernández with being on-ball — especially down the stretch, as Mann and guard Tyrese Martin earned closing minutes over rookies Egor Dëmin and Ben Saraf. He finished with the best net rating of the young season (11.7).

Terance Mann and Ziaire Williams attend Raising Cane’s unveiling of the country’s largest pumpkin with celebrity friends at Military Island, Times Square on Oct. 30, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images for Raising Cane's

And across his 30 minutes, Mann issued a reminder that when the Nets inevitably encounter growing pains during the latest tank-defined season of their rebuild, Mann’s ability to handle the ball and initiate offense can provide a jolt.

“I mean, [Fernández] warned me that it might be that,” Mann told The Post on Thursday while at a Raising Cane’s event in Times Square to help unveil a 2,741-pound carved pumpkin that set a New York and United States record. “In some games, I might have to be on-ball. Some games, I might have to be off the ball, so I’m kinda ready for whatever.”

Standing under a canopy tent next to 24-year-old Nets teammate Ziaire Williams on Thursday, Mann joked that, at 29, he doesn’t feel old just yet. “These guys don’t give me the chance to feel too old,” Mann said. But in his seventh NBA season, Mann, a second-round pick in 2019, ended up on a Nets team that drafted five rookies in April, and has already ushered in an era of what they could become years from now instead of what they’ll be in the present. Losses are expected. The word “tanking” has become normalized.

But that doesn’t mean Fernández won’t try to win games — and won’t insert players into his lineup and rotation giving him the best chance to do so. Mann possessed the “energy I wanted to play with” Wednesday, Fernández said postgame, so that’s why he operated with the ball so much.

Early in the first quarter, Mann curled to catch a pass, drove into the paint and dished a pass to Nic Claxton that led to an and-1 when Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis slid over to help. 

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To start the third quarter, Mann either scored or assisted on six of the Nets’ first eight baskets while also adding a steal — helping trim their deficit from 13 to six. And late in the fourth quarter, after checking back in as part of Brooklyn’s closing group, Mann fueled the Nets’ comeback attempt by driving into the paint and dishing a pass to Martin on the right wing for a 3-pointer.

“Terance has a good overall feel for the game,” Fernández said Wednesday. “He does a little bit of everything, and I like when he’s aggressive and he gets assists when he gets to the rim and he sprays the ball.”

Terance Mann passes the ball around the back of Kristaps Porzingis during the first half of the Nets’ loss to the Hawks on Oct. 29, 2025 at Barclays Center. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Mann, in a way, helped contribute to the Nets’ youth movement. They acquired him from the Hawks along with the rights to first-round pick Drake Powell during a three-team trade in June, with Brooklyn incentivized to take on Mann’s three-year, $47M extension he inked with the Clippers that kicked in this season.

On paper, at least, there’s some stability that Mann could provide. He won’t hit free agency again until after the 2027-28 season.

But the thing about a rebuild is that there’s never a guarantee about any role. No roster spot is ever stable. Trades happen. Assets are dealt for draft capital. Mann, potentially, could be in Brooklyn for just a limited amount of time.

Until that juncture arrives, Mann remains the oldest player on one of three winless teams. And moments such as Wednesday’s showcased what value he can still provide in the present, even if the Nets’ vision remains focused on the future.

“Just being able to bring that energy,” Mann said Thursday. “That’s kinda what I feel like my role could be on this team. It’s only game five. That was only game five, so just feeling it out, seeing what I need to bring to the team. [Wednesday] night, it was assists.”