Next season will very much be a transition year for the San Antonio Spurs. While they were already in a rebuild, they reset the clock by trading away All-Star Dejounte Murray and by drafting three players in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. All three selections—Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley—are teenagers, and will require time to reach their full potential.
Maybe less so with Sochan, who’s likely to start for the San Antonio Spurs next season. The 19-year-old was taken ninth overall, but he doesn’t project to be a star, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, Sochan’s very particular set of skills should allow him to develop into a high-level role player.
Players like Sochan and Draymond Green can be as impactful as high scorers and help drive winning.
Sochan’s game could be modeled after Warriors forward Draymond Green. Green has never averaged more than 14 points per game in a single season, but he’s a four-time all-star and was a vital part of a team that reached the NBA Finals six times and won four titles. Sochan could be the San Antonio Spurs’ equivalent.
The 6’8 Sochan has a diverse game that will only become more valuable as his teammates improve. He’s a highly switchable defender who should be able to guard one through four and some centers effectively.
That’s incredibly rare and definitely similar to Green’s defensive capabilities. He obviously still has a way to go before he gets to his level, which at its peak was voted Defensive Player Of The Year, but he can get there.
Offensively, Sochan shares Green’s struggles as a 3-point shooter, but he was effective in scoring in the mid-range, suggesting that he’ll improve in that regard. If he can, he could be equally as versatile on that end of the floor. After all, he’s a good passer and can handle the ball, which allows him to grab and go and get out in transition.
While he’s probably not going to be asked to create using ball screens, even though he has the potential to do so, the Spurs may instead use him more like Boris Diaw. Diaw operated as a ball-mover and helped direct the Spurs’ offense from both the low and high post.
Sochan could eventually be used in much the same way, but a lot depends on his shot. If he can knock down open threes, it will keep his defender away from the paint, and he’s skilled at attacking…
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