There is no doubt that Jeremy Sochan is a unique player. The San Antonio Spurs' 2022 first-round draft pick is a special talent, but not one that is appreciated by everyone. Some even believe that he should be on the trade block. But on Wednesday night in the team's game against the LA Clippers, Sochan showed his value with two very on-brand plays on back-to-back possessions in the first quarter.
With just under 50 seconds remaining in the first frame of play, James Harden began to bring the ball up the court for the Clippers. But after a couple of dribbles, the ball slipped out of his hands, and bounced right in the direction of Jeremy Sochan. Picking up the loose change, Sochan found a streaking Devin Vassell, who slammed it home for two points.
Just a few seconds later on the proceeding inbound, Harden fell down, with the start of his fall being off-camera. But as he lost the ball, Sochan once again picked it up in nearly the exact same spot, dribbling past Kevin Porter Jr. and avoiding the chase-down block attempt by Terance Mann for the score.
.@JeremySochan with back-to-back steals! pic.twitter.com/U6iz2ZmGoc
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 30, 2025
Sochan's defensive tenacity was on display from the opening tip
This simple but telling 12-second stretch of game time served as a reminder of Jeremy Sochan's value, and why the Spurs should be avoiding making him available in trade talks. When it comes to being in the right place at the right time on defense, Sochan excels in ways that his peers often do not.
His offensive game is not as polished, and we know that. But even on that side of things, Jeremy is shooting a career-high percentage from the floor this season. Sochan is coming along nicely in rounding out his game, and choosing to deal him away now would certainly be a mistake.
There are likely going to be other teams that have noticed Sochan's improvement as well, and will come along with an offer to try to fleece San Antonio for their developing young defensive stud. It is plays like these two against the Clippers that should remind the Spurs to hold on to Sochan for dear life at the trade deadline.