Jeremy Sochan’s nine minutes in Portland were a peek of the shooter Spurs never got

Jeremy Sochan was a +12 with 10 points in nine minutes of action in his preseason debut for the Trail Blazers. The former Spurs Swiss Army knife has always struggled with his three-ball, and that was a big part of why he didn't work out in the Alamo City. On Wednesday night, he went 4-for-6 from the field and 2-2 from deep, showing off a much more fluid jump-shooting motion.

That's the kind of improvement that will help the Polish Prince find a new long-term home. He may no longer wear silver and black, but once you put on that uniform and contribute positively to the culture Popovich and Tim Duncan built, you become a member of the family. Many in Spurs Nation want to see Sochan land on his feet and have a strong career, and I'm one of them.

Sochan didn't do anything wrong, he just didn't pan out fast enough

The Destroyer was the first of three first-round picks in 2022. Unfortunately, none of them are on the roster in 2026. Selected with the ninth overall pick, Sochan had high expectations coming in. He wasn't a shooter in college, but he was a rangy defender who played with maximum effort and could finish around the rim.

His offensive game was raw, but all players at that age need to improve at something, and his draft class wasn't littered with obvious home run talent. San Antonio's roster wasn't built to win at the time anyway, so there was plenty of time to work on developing Sochan on that end of the floor.

Meanwhile, they had a strong perimeter defender on standby to play alongside Victor Wembanyama if their plan to draft the Alien the following summer worked out, which it did.

But then the reality of playing them together hit.

The defensive benefits were there, but not enough to compensate for the offensive mismatch. Spacing around Wemby is just way too important to have a forward on the floor who couldn't shoot. Three years into his career, Jeremy hadn't become a respectable threat from outside, and there was no midrange game to speak of.

The rest of the roster was making leaps, significantly outpacing Jeremy and rendering his services no longer necessary. San Antonio went to the NBA Finals immediately after moving on from the ex-Baylor Bear, so they were right.

Sochan has to keep proving it now

Sochan signed with the Knicks after the Spurs waived him midseason, but he could barely get on the floor for a few minutes a night. There were several DNPs, and his presence was a complete non-factor in the postseason.

He's on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract now, so nine minutes don't buy him anything yet. He's still on trial. If he continues to show an improved offensive game, he could earn himself a standard contract somewhere in this league. He has three more preseason games to do it, and I'm hoping he does, because Sochan's resurgence is a compelling story I can get behind.

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