Spurs sophomore Jeremy Sochan continues to go under the radar, much to head coach Gregg Popovich’s chagrin.
On Tuesday, the rosters for the 2024 Rising Stars Challenge for the All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis was released. The names that many expect would be included mostly made the cut, with the likes of San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, Oklahoma City Thunder stud Chet Holmgren, and reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero all making the cut. However, one player stands out as a notable omission for Gregg Popovich.
Speaking to reporters prior to the Spurs’ 108-98 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, Popovich bemoaned the omission of sophomore forward Jeremy Sochan, whom the San Antonio head coach couldn’t believe wasn’t selected for inclusion in spite of the huge strides he has made in recent times.
“I don’t know who chooses these things or what the criteria are, anything like that. But he’s been great for us. He’s been a two-way player, which are very few and far between in this league. He’s played well in the defensive end, the offensive end. He’s really grown. Nobody would’ve believed he’d shoot the three the way he’s shooting it right now. So I think he should be there,” Popovich said, via Nate Ryan of KENS 5.
Indeed, Jeremy Sochan has upped his game for the Spurs as of late. It seems to have helped the 20-year old forward a lot that he has moved to his more natural position instead of being the subject of Gregg Popovich’s point guard experiment to start the year.
Since the Spurs reinserted Tre Jones as the team’s starting point guard, Sochan has averaged 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 15 games, and he has shot 37 percent from deep on 3.6 attempts per contest. His marked improvement from beyond the arc is staggering; Sochan, as a rookie, made just 24.6 percent of his long balls, and now, he’s shooting the ball with so much confidence.
There certainly is a strong argument that Jeremy Sochan should have made the Rising Stars cut over the likes of Dyson Daniels, Bilal Coulibaly, Cason Wallace, and even Shaedon Sharpe, who has missed a chunk of the season due to injury. Nonetheless, the Spurs sophomore can still make the team as an injury replacement, although his recent play makes him well worthy of inclusion in the first place.
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