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Jeremy Sochan will probably go back to the bench in 2023-24 after opening his NBA career as a rookie starter. The San Antonio Spurs have already specified that Victor Wembanyama will start at power forward this season, and Keldon Johnson, after all, is the team's leading returning scorer. Adequate spacing could be tough enough to come by for San Antonio without shoehorning Sochan—who shot a league-worst 24.8% from deep in his debut campaign—into a perimeter-based role that doesn't suit his developing skill set.
Don't take that likely demotion as any indication of the Spurs' lagging confidence in Sochan's short and long-term future, though. Gregg Popovich, clearly, sees game-changing stardom ahead for the sophmore forward.
“He can play one through four. And depending on circumstances — who we’re playing, injuries — I could see him going to the five and us playing small. He’s like a utility infielder in baseball; maybe they don’t have that anymore,” Popovich said of Sochan on Media Day, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “The sky’s the limit for him. He’s so competitive. He handles the ball. He’s one of our best passers. He’s really important in creating pace for us, that up-tempo style that we did so much better with last year. Very, very fun to watch.”
Sochan, the No. 9 overall pick in last year's draft, quietly put together an eye-opening rookie season in San Antonio, averaging 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2,5 assists per game. What stuck out much more than any basic numbers or advanced stats, though, was the two-way role versatility and stylistic flexibility Sochan provided the Spurs as a teenager. Every team in the league is looking for 6'9 players who can defend multiple positions and create off the bounce while doing it with obvious feel and intensity.
Jeremy Sochan's Spurs fit next to Victor Wembanyama
Sochan tapped into those abilities regularly as a rookie, at times making a convincing as San Antonio's best young prospect. Wembanyama owns that distinction all by himself now, obviously, and Devin Vassell's new contract extension slots him rightfully high in the ultimate organizational pecking order.
Sochan's ceiling mostly depends on the growth of his jumper. But he doesn't need to be a knockdown spot-up shooter or even threatening pull-up option to potentially impact winning at the highest levels of basketball. Though that type of stardom could push the Spurs toward another dynasty if Wembanyama lives up to the hype, Sochan projects as a quality starter at the league's most valuable position with even slight improvement as a jump-shooter. He's already transitioned to taking free throws underhanded; willingness to work on his shot definitely won't be Sochan's problem.
What makes Wembanyama truly one of a kind is the combination of rim-protection and shot-making ability he possesses at 7'4. That unique combination of traits allows for lineup and strategic creativity of which most teams couldn't dream, but Wembanyama can't leverage that valuable dynamic to its fullest all by himself. It takes an entire group of multi-faceted players to successfully deploy that style at the game's highest levels.
What type of player to better help Wembanyama unlock it than a lengthy, athletic, 20-year-old forward who already defends one-through-five and handles and passes like a guard? If his jumper comes around, you almost couldn't build a more ideal long-term partner for Wembanyama in NBA 2K than Sochan.
That pie-in-the-sky future is several years away for the Spurs at the very least. In the meantime, pay special attention to when Popovich plays smaller this season, bringing in Sochan at the 4 next to Wembanyama. You could be watching basketball's next great frontcourt.
