Jeremy Sochan named to All-Rookie Second Team after superb debut season with Spurs

The NBA has officially named San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan to the 2022-23 Kia All-Rookie Second Team.

Sochan joins Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr. in this honor, becoming the first Spur since Kawhi Leonard (2012) to earn an All-Rookie Team nomination. He received 66 Second-Team votes, helping him edge out Andrew Nembhard, Shaedon Sharpe, and AJ Griffin for one of the final spots.

The Spurs selected Sochan ninth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, making him their highest selection since Tim Duncan in 1997. While San Antonio had their worst record in over a quarter century, Sochan was among the brightest performers in an otherwise frustrating season for the youngest roster in franchise history.

The 19-year-old averaged 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 45.3% shooting, ranking inside the top 10 among rookies in all three statistical categories. Those nightly numbers were impressive, but his astounding development throughout the season set Sochan apart from his fellow draft classmates.

Sochan opened the year as a relatively timid scorer and dreadful shooter with limited playmaking responsibilities. After a string of mediocre outings to start his career, the Polish teenager flourished, embracing one-handed free throws and stretching the boundaries of his newfound ballhandling opportunities for a shorthanded squad.

The former Baylor Bear was as advertised on the defensive end, covering all five positions on the court while welcoming matchups against All-Stars like Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, and Lauri Markkanen. He also relished his role as an antagonizer, getting under the skin of Luka Doncic, Steven Adams, and Markieff Morris.

San Antonio squeezed tremendous value out of Sochan in year one, and he cemented himself as a genuine member of their young core alongside Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. The front office will soon have a perfect chance to add a generational prospect to that bunch once they learn their lottery positioning in the 2023 NBA Draft.