The San Antonio Spurs are set to take on the Dallas Mavericks in the season opener on October 22. However, it sounds like the team will be without fourth-year forward Jeremy Sochan.
Reports indicate that Sochan, who is 22 years old, is ruled out for the first game of the regular season against the Mavericks due to a wrist injury, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Sochan suffered a sprain in his left wrist during the Spurs' latest practice. The good news is that it doesn't appear to be deemed a long-term injury.
“Jeremy Sochan sprained his left wrist today in practice and is expected to miss opening night, per the Spurs. He returned to 5-on-5 scrimmaging yesterday and suffered the injury there. He will enter the season day to day.”
With Sochan out of the lineup for the season opener, the Spurs will likely rely on Harrison Barnes, while guys like Julian Champagnie could see some extra minutes. It's possible Keldon Johnson also plays both small and power forward to make up for Jeremy Sochan's absence.
Once he eventually returns to action, Sochan is in line to serve as the Spurs' sixth man this season. It's a role he played well last year, as he averaged 25.3 minutes per game. In the 54 games he played, Sochan averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds (career-high), and 2.4 assists per game while owning a 53.5% field goal percentage (career-high) and shot 30.8% from beyond the three-point line.
Look for the Spurs to provide more updates regarding Jeremy Sochan's wrist injury after the season opener against the Mavericks. Depending on the grade of the sprain, Sochan could be out anywhere between one to 12 weeks. However, based on the report, it doesn't sound like the club believes Sochan's wrist sprain is a serious one.
