Draft guru says quiet part out loud about Jeremy Sochan's fit with the Spurs

Jeremy Sochan has steadily emerged as one of the most intriguing players in the NBA. He's played virtually every position on the floor for the San Antonio Spurs, embracing roles that a vast majority of contributors would struggle to shuffle between.

As the Spurs prepare for the next phase of the Victor Wembanyama era, however, recent maneuverings have caused one NBA Draft specialist to question how Sochan fits.

Sochan is coming off of a season in which he averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 offensive boards, 2.4 assists, and 0.8 steals in just 25.3 minutes per game. Unfortunately, he shot just 30.8 percent from beyond the arc for a second consecutive season—and on a team undergoing drastic changes, that may no longer prove acceptable.

On a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, NBA Draft guru Sam Vecenie questioned if recent roster changes and the price the market may ultimately set for Sochan in 2026 free agency have made him expendable.

"If I'm the Spurs, I might be looking at this going, 'Okay, Carter Bryant can do a lot of what Sochan does already. I don't know if I wanna really pay Jeremy Sochan $18 to $22 million a year, whatever it's gonna take...so maybe we look to move Sochan for more future capital so we can keep replenishing.'"

Sochan has mountains of untapped potential to explore, but Vecenie raises an admittedly fascinating point about the nature of building contenders in a salary-capped league.

Sam Vecenie asks if Spurs' additions made Jeremy Sochan expendable

It wasn't only Bryant whom Vecenie referred to, as his point was about the roster at large. Bryant was simply more of a direct comparison as a seemingly versatile defensive player capable of taking on opponents at multiple positions and rebounding at a high level.

Beyond Bryant is a growing list of players who aren't necessarily known as sharpshooting floor-spacers, however, which admittedly calls into question how viable an option it is to re-sign Sochan.

The Spurs are seemingly planning to build their perimeter around the three-headed monster of Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper. Each player has the potential to make the game easier for Wembanyama, and all three have been acquired via valuable assets.

Unfortunately, they're also three players who have generally struggled to convert shots from beyond the arc—thus forcing one to question if having another non-shooter in Sochan is a viable option.

Jeremy Sochan's jump shot could make him a poor fit with new pieces

Shooting isn't the only reason re-signing Sochan for even the lower end of the figures Vecenie speculated would be a risky endeavor. Even at the aforementioned $18 million per season, the Spurs would potentially enter 2026-27 paying the trio of Keldon Johnson, Sochan, and Devin Vassell a combined $62.5 million.

All three are undeniably talented, but the Spurs would need to be confident that a seven-man rotation of Castle, Fox, Harper, Johnson, Sochan, Vassell, and Wembanyama can contend in 2026-27.

That may sound like a massive leap, but the Spurs must view every season with Wembanyama as an opportunity to compete at the highest level. In what would be his fourth season in the NBA, it would border on unforgivable to not be able to give him at least a postseason-caliber supporting cast.

This in no way rules out the possibility that Sochan, who's still only 22 years of age himself, will come back as the type of player the Spurs need him to be. Vecenie simply raises the point that re-signing him should no longer be viewed as a foregone conclusion.

Thankfully, Sochan can erase the concerns by coming back with a more reliable outside shot and the off-ball value they need from him.