2024-25 Spurs Player Reviews: Jeremy Sochan

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The Spurs’ third-year wing continued to improve in a season filled with adversity.

Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2024-25 player reviews! The series will look at the players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts and who played consequential minutes and/or a vital role (so no two-way players because we hardly saw them this year, and no players who were traded away).

Jeremy Sochan

2024-25 stats: 54 games, 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 53.5 FG% on 8.7 attempts

Contract Status: 1 year, $7 million remaining (eligible for rookie extension)

Age: 21

Jeremy Sochan has yet to find solid footing in his NBA career… and it’s not totally his fault. For two years in a row, Sochan has been forced to fill a role that is not 100% suited to his strengths. There was the point guard experiment in his second season, and then this year, he was thrust into a backup center role when the Spurs’ big men depth suddenly dried up. Through it all, Sochan showed why he’s a valuable Swiss-Army man for the Spurs’ future.

Early in the season, when he was allowed to play as a wing defender and cutter, Sochan was having a career season. Despite dealing with injuries, he averaged 11.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 54.5% from the field and 34% from three (on 1.4 attempts) in 33 games before the All-Star break. After the deadline, those numbers dipped a bit as his role changed night to night. While his offense came and went, his effort and defensive ability were constants.

Sochan continues to be the Spurs’ toughest 1-on-1 defender and rose to the challenge of difficult matchups. His length, strength and athleticism help him stay with some of the best scorers in the league and allow him to hold his own when tasked with playing small-ball center. He’s getting better at being in the right spots off the ball and fighting through screens to contest shooters and cutters. He was the Spurs defender who progressed the most this season.

He started to look better offensively, too. Sochan had his most efficient shooting season of his career, living off of cuts, dump-offs offs and put-backs. He shot a career-best 70.7% from 3 feet and in. He looked confident passing and handling the ball thanks to his year at point guard. His three-point percentage remained the same as last season, and his free-throw percentage dropped, but it’s clear that he was going through some mechanical changes this year.

His jump shot from deep looks better. The results aren’t quite there yet, but he seems more confident and smooth taking the shot. The question is: how long can the Spurs play another non-shooter next to Victor Wembanyama Do Sochan’s other strengths make up for his one glaring offensive flaw?

Looking ahead

Sochan is eligible for the rookie scale contract this offseason. If the Spurs don’t reach an agreement with him, he’ll become a restricted free agent after next season. Sochan seems to be an important part of the versatile, defensive team the Spurs are building with players like Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox. But for the first time in his NBA career, he came off the bench more than he started. So, what is the price the Spurs are willing to pay for a long-term bench piece?

Examples for rookie-scale extensions for wings with a similar profile to Sochan range from extreme to reasonable. Deni Avdija signed a bargain 4-year, $55M deal after his third NBA season in which he averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and shot just 29.7% from three. Jaden McDaniels was a defensive wing who struggled from three until his third season, when he shot 39.8% from deep, and earned a 5-year, $131M contract.

Sochan profiles closer to Avdija than McDaniels. His inability to space the floor will limit his long-term potential alongside Fox and Wemby in the starting lineup. Still, he’s a valuable defender and spark plug of the bench with his energy and rebounding. Plus, he has good synergy with Wembanyama — in their 483 minutes together, the Spurs had a 110.6 offensive rating and 107.1 defensive rating (3.5 net). That should drive San Antonio to pursue an affordable extension with Sochan.

Getting Sochan on a favorable extension should be one of the Spurs’ top priorities this offseason. Money will be tight with two near-max players on the roster in Fox and eventually Wembanyama. San Antonio’s cap sheet will be a big factor in future decisions. Getting a good defensive player with some positional versatility on a good deal will help give them the future flexibility to shape the roster into a contender.