“F**k this s**t.” It is safe to assume the phrase had never before been uttered on the record by any member of the San Antonio Spurs.
It wasn't said in frustration following Tuesday night's 36 point loss in Oklahoma City. The expletive sandwich came over the weekend after practice when Jeremy Sochan responded to questions about his transitioning from power forward to point guard.
On board with what head coach Gregg Popovich has labeled this season's “experiment,” the second-year forward expressed what sometimes crosses his mind while playing the position for the first time in his youthful 20 years.
If actions speak louder than words (and Pop has praised Sochan plenty over his season plus in San Antonio), then appointing the former Baylor Bear to lead the offense speaks volumes about how the Hall-of-Famer views his rising star – a literal description when you take into account that Sochan made the All-Star event of the same name last year.
Enter the evolution of what's become today's basketball buzzword.
‘Position-less'
Spurs' roster questions
A 6'8″, 230 pounder doesn't fit the definition of what we've come to know as a premier power forward. Much shorter than Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki and much slimmer than Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, Sochan can effectively play the position nowadays.
The talent that made him the ninth overall pick of last year's draft was on full display throughout his rookie year. So was the rawness – but there is worse than serving as a jack of all trades, master of none at the age of 19.
So with a skill set to master, the Spurs staff honed in on point guard. His play-making ability, vision and athleticism on top of that 6'8″ lanky frame make for an interesting foundation, especially at a time when the two most coveted traits on a basketball court might be length and versatility. Add the once in a lifetime combination of 2024 first overall pick Victor Wembanyama as a teammate, plus youth everywhere on the court, and elements took shape for a project.
Three weeks into the regular season, Popovich found himself using an expletive of his own during a post game press conference.
“At one point you have to get tired of getting your a** kicked.”
San Antonio's difficult start to 2023-24 season
The 123-87 shellacking Tuesday at the hands of the Thunder marked a sixth straight loss and a third of at least 30 points in the Spurs first 11 games. That matches a league record set by the Denver Nuggets in 1990-'91.
While Popovich lamented the lack of effort, inconsistency and focus, among another of the factors plaguing the 3-8 Spurs is their point guard play – or lack of it. Sochan has struggled more often than not and the offense flows better when Tre Jones, a true point who's missed the last two games, is on the court.
But lost in Sochan's play is that he continues to contribute in a number of ways. His 4.5 assists per game are second only to Jones' six on the team. His 5.2 rebounds per outing are not far behind center Zach Collins and fellow power forward-type Keldon Johnson. He's averaging double figures in points.
Perhaps the most significant number here, though, is 11; as in the number of games Sochan has played point guard. The NBA isn't exactly conducive to that kind of a learning curve, especially for a young man who hadn't yet obtained his drivers license when the Spurs drafted him last year.
At this rate, it won't be very long before another Spur uses a curse word or two during an interview. More intriguing is where the point guard experiment will be when it happens again.
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