Spurs Playbook: Wemby, Sochan and death by a thousand cuts

Jeremy Sochan makes an impact off-ball with his cutting ability.

The San Antonio Spurs have played two-straight games in which their offense really clicked. They eliminated bad turnovers and moved the ball effectively. In Sunday’s win against the Indiana Pacers the Spurs had 33 assists, with each player tallying at least two. It wasn’t just the passing that made the Spurs offense sing, but their off-ball movement as well.

Whether it’s Victor Wembanyama coming off a cross screen, Devin Vassell relocating for a jumper or Malaki Branham finding a hole in the defense, the Spurs off-ball movement was great on Sunday. Overall court awareness seems to be improving. Players are learning what holes exist in the defense with Wembanyama on the floor. One such player who has been good at this is Jeremy Sochan.

Sochan has gotten 56 shots off cuts this season, shooting 73.2% on those looks. He’s been effective moving without the basketball to find himself looks. That’s an important part of his offensive fit with Wembanyama. Because he isn’t a reliable floor spacer yet (shooting 33.5% from deep this year) he can bend the defense by moving without the ball to find openings.

A common rule of thumb for cutting is to look at your defender’s eyes, or in this case, their head. When you can see the back of your defenders head, that’s the signal to cut to the open area. On this play, Sochan quickly tosses the ball to a back-cutting Branham on the secondary break. Tyrese Haliburton looks at where the ball is going, rather than just switching with Myles Turner. In the blink of an eye, Sochan reads the defender and cuts straight to the rim for a layup.

This play is indicative of a few reasons why Sochan is a good cutter. One, he is good at reading the defense. You’ll see in a few other clips that he is quick to recognize when and where he needs to cut. If he sees this opening just a second late, it’s gone. He processes the game quickly and at a pretty high level without the ball.

Two, Sochan has a great motor. The easy thing to do here is watch Branham make a move after the back cut, maybe anticipate getting back on defense. Sochan instead quickly bursts to the rim after running the length of the floor to create an even better look. Three, the forward is a good finisher. Sochan is shooting 48.5% on two-pointers this season, and 68.2% from 0-3 feet. He can score with athletic dunks, acrobatic layups, or strong finishes with either hand.

Here is another good example of Sochan’s floor vision. He finds Zach Collins in the pick and roll with a risky pass (this is why he is a forward and not a point guard!) Once again Sochan sees the back of Turner’s head, as the Pacers big man crashes onto Collins to get a blocked shot. The help side defender collapses onto the ball leaving Collins triple-teamed. Sochan finds an opening in the middle of the paint, and makes a contested layup over Turner.

Later in the game, Sochan would essentially seal the win with another cut.

This play is an absolute mess. It starts with Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich, screaming at Sochan to clear out for Wembanyama in the low post (you can even hear it on the broadcast.) If Sochan spaces this to the opposite wing, it makes it harder for Turner to double Wemby after the cross screen. Instead there are three Spurs standing in essentially the same area, while Wembanyama gets doubled.

Tre Jones cuts after the pass to draw his defender out of the play. Funny enough, Sochan does at the exact same time. The two of them almost run into each other. Yet, the play works because Sochan is going pretty much unchecked to the rim while his defender, Turner, doubles the post. Sochan flashes to the ball, gets good position on Benedict Mathurin and puts San Antonio up nine.

These clips show a player who understands the fundamentals of cutting and is seeing the floor well. If teams won’t respect him as a shooter and leave him open to double another player, he can cut to the open spot and make himself a threat. In an ideal world, his dynamic with Wembanyama is similar to Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon’s. A uber-talented big man who draws the attention of the opposition, and a versatile swingman who finds holes in the defense for strong finishes.

Sochan’s off-ball movement was key in the win against Indiana, and will continue to be for the future success of these young Spurs. As teams continue to key in on Wembanyama, the rest of the team can make their lives easier by following Sochan’s lead and moving without the ball.