Jeremy Sochan’s Advanced Defence Carries His Offensive Shortcomings

Drafted with the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, a lot was expected of rookie forward Jeremy Sochan, particularly on the defensive end.

In that department, he hits all the buzzwords. Sochan is long, athletic and multi-positional, and he uses it to cover ground and irritate people. He was thought to be ready to plug and play on defence from day one, and this has largely come to fruition. The rookie mistakes are low, and his defensive IQ is advanced for one so relatively inexperienced against top-tier athletic opposition.

The offense, though, is lacking. Sochan has managed to average 8.7 points in 24.9 minutes per game in his first 29 NBA games, yet he has had to attempt 8.1 shots per game to do so.

The same athleticism that makes him a defensive presence makes him one in the offensive transition game as well, and, on the fast-paced Spurs (eighth in the NBA in pace rating), he is getting plenty of opportunities in that area, But he is struggling for efficiency there, missing non-dunk finishes with a jarring frequency, and in the half-court, his role outside of the unscriptable is very hard to define.

Sochan uses the tools to attack the offensive rebounds, and the 1.6 of them he gets per game – plus the resultant put-backs – might be his best value on that end. Similarly, when he is able to get free and cut to the rim without needing to take the ball with him, he can slither his way to the cup with dexterity.

However, the Spurs – indulging in the tank for Victor Wembanyama as much as anybody – are one of the worst offensive teams in the league. They rank 28th in offensive rating, 20th in three-point shooting and 24th in turnover rate. The best cutting units have offensive cohesion, consistent spacing and discipline within them, and the cobbled-together Spurs do not have that currently. (All the missed shots do at least mean more offensive rebounding opportunities, but the lack of efficient looks within regular sets undercuts that.)

As a shooter in particular, Sochan is far behind the curve. He has hit only 11 of his first 59 NBA three-pointers, and the form does not inspire much confidence that this will change any time soon. Moreover, there has already been a big change in one part of his form – struggling from the free throw line, Sochan has already switched to shooting one-handed free throws.

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It is to his credit that he is willing to listen to coaching and adapt, especially when still trying to establish himself. It is also a great way to get head coach Gregg Popovich to like him. Having to make such a modification early, though, does serve as a reminder of quite how far Sochan still has to travel offensively.

It begins with establishing a shot profile. Sochan is of the mind to want to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim, while also being willing to take any resultant jumpers. He is not a deep-catch player. For him to succeed as such, the handle will have to tighten, the finishing will have to sharpen up, and the form on all kinds of shot (not just the free throw) will have to become consistent. It is a long list to work on. And it is therefore important to note that, still aged only 19, he has plenty of time left to do so.

If Sochan is to become more like Aaron Gordon, the growth in his shot making and ball-handling will have to be quite substantial. But if he exists more in the Herb Jones range for a few seasons on the way, that will do. And at least he seems willing to try.