3 Things Sochan must improve on in offseason

Writing something semi-critical of a player who is coming off of two of the best performances of his career and who has been an iron man for San Antonio this season (Sochan missed Sunday’s game against Golden State after playing in the first 74 games of the season) is an interesting decision, to say the least. This also stinks to write about considering the news that Jeremy will be held out of the Spurs’ remaining schedule with the ankle impingement suffered against the Knicks.

Addressing the positive angle first, Sochan has come into his own of late. He’s playing with extreme confidence on offense and cementing himself as one of the best wing defenders in the league. More importantly, Jeremy is only 20 years old and seemingly has the drive necessary to get a little bit better with every game he plays.

With that said, what are some areas for improvement for the second-year player out of Baylor as he looks to convince the front office that he should be in the long-term plans for the team as it builds around Victor Wembanyama?

3. Discipline on D

The topic for this article was chosen before Sochan’s recent outburst (26 points, 18 rebounds, and the game-winner as the good guys stunned Phoenix; then 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals in a win over the Jazz; before getting injured during the Spurs’ thrilling overtime victory versus New York). The Big Pierogi has been on fire lately, so by no means is this piece meant to denigrate him.

Nonetheless, Spurs fans, even those who have patience for the San Antonio developmental system, recognize that areas for improvement definitely exist in Jeremy’s game. The first of those is the most nitpicky, so we're getting it out of the way now. Sochan has been a menace on defense this year, taking on the toughest assignment on a night-to-night basis and hounding his opponents whenever the opportunity arises.

Jeremy has gone headfirst into matchups with the league's best, including potential MVP Luka Doncic and one of the all-time greats in LeBron James, and has come out a winner in a lot of those scenarios. He's been a bully on defense dating back to his overseas career, and it is easy to foresee a future where Sochan ends up on a few All-Defensive teams.

The one potential spot for improvement on D is his discipline (or, at times, lack thereof). Jeremy is willing to take risks on that side of the ball, throwing his body into the fire. It works out for him more than it doesn't, but he gets burned from time to time. Maybe the Spurs organization has decided that Sochan is most valuable when he gambles (and accounts for the 7'4" safety net that roves behind him), but some added discipline couldn't hurt.