Spurs officially have a Jeremy Sochan problem on their hands

Jeremy Sochan was always going to be a wild card in the Spurs' rebuild. From his debut in 2022 all the way through last season, Sochan's immense upside was on display often, bursting through in flashes of defensive production, playmaking, and connective ability. The "D" word (Draymond) was thrown around when discussing Sochan.

But now it's year four for Sochan , and instead of finding consistency or developing one skill at a high level, Sochan is still kind of that in-between player who doesn't excel in oen area. This year, he's struggled to be passable in those areas.

With so much of the Spurs' core already figured out — Wemby, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, and perhaps Carter Bryant are clear candidates to be on the team for many years — is there a clear place for Sochan in the future of this team?

If we were seeing steady improvements in all the things that made him so promising, then probably. But we're not seeing that progress, and if he keeps going down this path, it'll get harder to find space for him as an every day player.

Jeremy Sochan's role in Spurs future is unclear after early struggles

Sochan's impact metrics weren't great in his first two seasons; but that was never really a problem. The Spurs were rebuilding, and Sochan was expected to be a project, not an instant impact player.

Last year, Sochan's third, was the first time he had a positive VORP, his win shared were up, his BPM still wasn't great but it was improved, and his shooting efficiency was way up. Things seemed to be trending in the right direction, even if the volume wasn't there. But it was clear 2025-26 would be a crucial year for his development. 

Instead of development, there's been a backslide. Sochan's VORP is down to 0.0, meaning he is the definition of a "replacement player," and that's sure as heck not what the Spurs envisioned him as. His outside shooting hasn't improved, his facilitation looks more laborious than in years past, and his minutes are way down.

I'm not giving up on Jeremy Sochan, because we all know how talented he is. The thought of all his traits working in tandem remains exciting, and he's 22 years old. But with the Spurs approaching contention at lightning speed, a player moving backwards in their development (or even moving slowly) is going to have a tough time finding a permanent role on this team. So far this season, it's hard to watch Sochan and not think he's moving away from a regular spot in the rotation, rather than toward it.