Clippers Officially Announce Fifth Starter for Season Opener

The long-awaited national inquiry is over. The Clippers have found their Mann.

(Photo by Justin Russo, Russo Writes)

PLAYA VISTA — Ever since media day and training camp opened up, there’s been a lingering question in regards to the LA Clippers: Who will be the fifth starter?

Four spots were already cemented thanks to Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac. It left the starting power forward spot as the only vacancy, a rotation place that had been held by veteran Marcus Morris Sr. for 65 games last season before having to miss the final seven regular season games due to a combination of illness and low back spasms. Nicolas Batum took over Morris’ starting spot during that spell.

But we now have our answer for opening night after Clippers coach Tyronn Lue divulged it to gathered media at the team’s training facility on Friday: Terance Mann will be the team’s fifth starter when they open the season on Wednesday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Lue.

Mann spent 17 minutes alongside the duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard during the team’s preseason campaign with the Clippers being a plus-10 in that time.

“The good thing about it is your name's [on] all social media, whether it's true or not, teams, like T-Mann and we love T-Mann as well,” Lue said before Thursday’s preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets when asked what he’s seen out of Mann who is entering his fifth season and is currently seeing his name in trade chatter potentially for Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden.

“So that's a good position to be in. It's different when guys don't want you then you're out of the league. But we love T-Mann and T-Mann is going to be here, so we're not really worried about — we're just staying outside and all the speculations or whatever and it's a good thing to be wanted, I'll tell you that.”

Clearly the Clippers want Mann, as well, as they’ve not only held him out of Harden trade talks but have named him the fifth starter.

“I just think just because of his versatility,” Lue said ahead of practice Friday where he named Mann the starter.

“I think being able to guard multiple positions — we can start him on a point guard, where we can put him on Steph (Curry) and Dame (Lillard) and guys like that. Then we can play him on (Lauri) Markannen if we have to and just I think his versatility of being able to guard point guards as well as twos, threes and fours, I think makes the most sense right now. So that's what we're going to go with right now.”

Mann is entering his fifth season with the Clippers and coming off a year where he started a career-high 36 games, averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on a 63.7 True Shooting Percentage in those contests. On the court, Mann makes a lot of sense to slot in alongside the stars. His unselfish style of basketball and ability to guard multiple positions, especially at the point of attack, makes him valuable to a Clippers team that will do everything they can to limit the defensive burden on Leonard and George.

This move is one that the Clippers made more so for the defensive end as Mann’s energy and tenacious defense allows the Clippers to lock in more on that end of the floor. It was something they had severely lacked last season as the team finished 17th in Defensive Rating.

“I don't really think there’s positions in basketball,” said Lue, reiterating a point that Leonard himself made on media day about the NBA becoming a positionless sport. “I think just have him on the floor and the sets we run are pretty interchangeable with the one, two, and three anyway, and so he knows the four as well, so it's pretty interchangeable.”

Mann and the stars have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship during their time together. In the 443 minutes that Mann, Leonard, and George have played alongside each other since 2019-20, the Clippers are plus-121. They’ve racked up a plus-15.7 Net Rating. With a center on the floor, that trio has a plus-9.9 Net Rating in 297 minutes. It’s plus-26.7 in 146 minutes without a center.

Mann, who turned 27 on Wednesday, is a career 37.1 percent shooter on 256 corner three-point attempts. In addition, Mann converted 72.1 percent of his shots inside the restricted area last season, where he tallied 212 attempts.

The dynamic Mann supplies the Clippers with point-of-attack defense, an ability to cut off the ball — Mann averaged 1.47 points per possession on cuts last season — and a penchant to space the floor. On top of that, should the Clippers opt to go small, Mann provides an elite level of screen action in the Clippers’ vaunted small-small pick-and-roll.

It’s a move that people had been wondering about all offseason, and now it’s come to fruition for a team that has seemingly been leaning that way all summer. Get your best players on the floor and figure it out from there.

That appears to be what the Clippers are attempting to do.