Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue has finally settled on his starting lineup for the first game of the 2023-24 NBA season. Speaking with reporters on Friday, Lue revealed that versatile shooting guard Terance Mann will be the fifth starter when the Clippers face the Portland Trail Blazers on October 25.
Lue already had four starters – Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac—penciled in when the Clippers started their training camp. The only unknown was who would get the fifth spot, with veterans Nic Batum and Robert Covington being among the candidates alongside Mann.
It appears that Mann did enough through the training camp and preseason to get the nod, with Lue pointing out his versatility as one of the reasons for his choice.
“We can start him on a point guard, where we can put him on Steph [Curry] and Dame [Lillard] and guys like that,” Lue said via ESPN. “Then we can play him on [bigger players such as Lauri Markkanen] if we have to, and just his versatility of being able to guard point guards as well as 2s, 3s, and 4s I think makes the most sense right now.”
Terance Mann played 81 games last season and made 36 starts with the Clippers. He finished the campaign averaging 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Mann was previously mentioned as part of the Clippers’ trade offer for Philadelphia 76ers’ star James Harden, but it appears that the 27-year-old won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
