Survey results: Jeremy Sochan's development is key for the Spurs

04/05/2024 15:00

The fans declare Sochan has the most important summer ahead of him.

With the second round of the playoffs nearly upon us, we are seeing somewhat of a handoff from the old guard to the new. Teams filled with older superstars like the Clippers, Lakers and Suns are being replaced by a newer class led by Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeious-Alexander and Jalen Brunson. Teams that were developed over the course of several seasons are taking down the "big-three" model that dominated the 2010s.

It's a good time to think about the San Antonio Spurs roster development and how their players can become playoff-caliber guys. Earlier this week, Pounding the Rock released a survey asking what internal developments you'd like to see this summer. We've tallied the votes and looked at the write-ins (the comments) to determine what developments the fan base is looking for.

If you asked most Spurs fans, they would consider the team's young core to consist of Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and, depending on the day, Jeremy Sochan. It's not surprising to see his name at the top of the list of players that fans want to see improve. Sochan has great athletic tools and a good frame. He's shown the capability of being a good one-on-one defender and a nice complimentary scoring weapon. He just hasn't put it all together quite yet. As the Spurs continue to build around Wembanyama, Sochan's development will be key, at least that's what 71% of you think.

One interesting name that wasn't on the list but was mentioned in the comments of our last post is Julian Champagnie. He got much better over the course of last season, improving defensively while shooting 36.5% from deep. It's pretty safe to assume the shooting wing will have a spot in the rotation next season. If he can get his shooting percentage around the 39% mark and show more ability to attack closeouts, he becomes a very interesting player for San Antonio.

San Antonio will go as far as Wembanyama takes them. Despite being a rookie of the year lock, and a defensive player of the year candidate, Wemby has a lot of room for improvement. He's only going to get better and elevate this team's ceiling even more. What is the next step he needs to take?

The most glaring answer (and 51% of you agree) is cutting down on turnovers. Wembanyama led the Spurs in turnovers last season with 3.7 a game. A lot of that comes from a unique player having the freedom to figure out what his strengths are in the NBA. As he matures and learns the NBA game, it's likely the number of turnovers he commits goes down. Tightening his handle and mastering a few go-to moves off the dribble would also do wonders in cleaning up his game.

The response to this question was a bit surprising. Personally, I think Wembanyama becoming a top-10 scorer in the NBA has a bigger impact on the team than anything else. Maybe it's a by-gone conclusion for Spurs fans that Wemby will get there next season.

Sochan shooting over 35% from deep feels less probable. He shot 30.8% last season and that felt like a drastic improvement. It seems that Sochan and Spurs shooting coach, Jimmy Barron, have developed a close relationship. He will certainly be in the gym working on the jump shot this summer. Sochan becoming a threat from deep would open some space for Wembanyama to operate in the half court, which would do wonders for the Spurs offense. It seems that all eyes will be on Sochan next year to see how the forward improves in his third season.

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