Jeremy Sochan’s role with the Spurs has always been hard to pinpoint. The Polish forward isn’t an exceptionally good shooter, took a few years to develop a solid passing range, and is severely limited by his inability to finish at the rim. But he’s been able to keep a spot in the Spurs’ rotation due to the lack of serviceable options around him. That’s no longer the case as the team has succeeded in surrounding Victor Wembanyama with talented young players. Sochan now faces the very real possibility of falling out of favor in Mitch Johnson’s team.
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Marcin Gortat, who carved out a healthy 12-year career in the league with his unique skills, recently shared some words of encouragement for his countryman, claiming that he’d need to make improvements to his game if he wanted to still get regular playtime in San Antonio.
Gortat, best known for his time in Washington, and his ‘Gortat Screen,’ appeared on a podcast, where he dissected Sochan’s game. He said that the young forward’s inability to shoot the ball well is his biggest weakness.
“First and foremost, he still has to develop his shot, which is not good enough. He needs to work on his shooting both around the rim and from outside,” he said. Gortat also noticed how the Spurs rarely run plays for him, and that he needs to find a niche for himself so that he can keep a significant role in the rotation.
“His role for the Spurs has diminished lately. He plays some minutes at the 5; he comes off the bench. Sometimes he’s more of a forward, on the other night plays a lot in the pick and roll (he’s really good at it). There are no set plays for him because he’s not a ‘go-to guy’ for the Spurs. Because of that, his role is still not set,” the Pole continued.
With Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and rookie Carter Bryant, the Spurs now have a dearth of talent to put on the floor with Wembanyama. Harrison Barnes also provides veteran leadership and shooting off the bench. In all this, Sochan is going to find it hard to carve out consistent minutes.
Keldon Johnson will also provide stiff competition to the Pole, and he’s far more consistent with his shooting to be pushed aside.
Like Gortat said, Sochan will need to make serious changes to his game if he wants to continue to be a mainstay on the Spurs team, which is expected to be in title contention in a couple of years’ time.
