[Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan opens up on his struggles to shift to point guard](https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/spurs-jeremy-sochan-opens-struggles-shift-point-18485472.php)
Re-iterating he was committed to making the position change work, Sochan after practice Saturday acknowledged the move to point guard the shift has taken on him
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There have been times during Jeremy Sochan’s second NBA season in which he wishes he could go back in time.
He doesn’t want to be a rookie again. He just wants to be a power forward.
That experiment as a Spurs point guard?
“There have been moments where it’s like, ‘Yo I don’t want to,’ ” Sochan said Saturday. “It’s like (expletive) this (expletive).”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has called the move of the 20-year-old Sochan from power forward to point guard the team’s “official experiment of 2023-24.”
Occasionally, that experiment has produced positive results. Occasionally, it has blown up in everyone’s face.
This is to be expected.
“It is the first time I have ever played point guard in my life,” Sochan said.
Re-iterating he was committed to trying to make the position change work, Sochan after practice Saturday acknowledged the toll it has taken on him.
“I am going to be honest,” Sochan said, “there have been moments where there isn’t confidence.”
On the flip side, Sochan said, “There have been moments of being confident.”
The 6-foot-8 Sochan experienced both sides of the spectrum in Friday’s 117-110 loss to Minnesota. He committed a season-high six turnovers, including four in the first half.
He also contributed 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, all while being asked to guard Timberwolves’ All-Star Anthony Edwards.
As the Spurs attempted to come back from 18 points down, Sochan swished a key 3-pointer and found an open Tre Jones on a skip pass for another big bucket.
In nine games as the Spurs’ starting point guard, Sochan is averaging 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He has been one of the club’s best defenders, and is tied with Victor Wembanyama for the team’s lead in steals at 1.1 per game.
“I am making a transition like this in the NBA, which is rare,” Sochan said. “You don’t see a lot of people going from power forward to point guard.”
Popovich and the Spurs’ staff have been unwavering in their commitment to Sochan to start the season. He says he has also gotten support from Jones, last year’s starter who is now coming off the bench.
“It means a lot,” Sochan said. “If you didn’t have that side, it would be a lot harder. It feels good that everyone in this building believes in it, and they know that it is not always going to be perfect, but they are there for it.”
by Ecovar
12 Comments
Here’s hoping he quiets his doubts with hard work, perseverance, and faith that it will work out in the end for his growth as a player and for the team. Rooting for you, Jeremy!!
Trust the process
Anyone who watched our team last year knows the potential this kid has. I have a feeling a lot of the naysayers are johnny come lately Wemby fans who talk more than they watch.
Best case scenario, we quicken Sochans pace to become the player he has the potential of becoming.
Worst case, we are awful all year and get a lottery pick we can use on a guard. Jeremy goes back to PF where he excelled last year.
It’s literally a win win for spurs fans.
Wemby fans just wanna see him chuck 50 shots a night and he gassed by all star break. It’s annoying to see.
I’m all in on trusting this. Here’s why. Best case scenario Sochan is successful and we had a Ben Simmons style defender and serviceable point guard that can play every position. Middle case scenario Sochan goes back to playing forward, has improved his passing and handling and shot, and is a better all around player. Worst case scenario, he’s a competent bust and doesn’t improve as point.
But here’s the silver lining on the worst case. He’s effectively led us to a record that ensures us a top 5 draft pick and we get a solid point guard.
All these scenarios seem to have huge benefits.
I am so impressed by the healthy attitude. Jeremy opens up about this stuff, everything we hear says that everyone in the org is looking at it the right way, the reporters don’t even draw unnecessary negatives from this. They point out that there could BE negatives, but hat everybody is coping.
Honestly – I’m just impressed by the whole thing.
He really wants to succeed; you can tell.
He’s only 20 and is learning to play a new position. These things take time.
They see something in him that we, regular shortsighted fans, don’t. The Spurs staff are not dumb to force something that doesn’t have long term gains.
I just don’t want him to get so in the weeds trying to figure this out he loses his confidence. That can derail a career quickly
I’m not a fan of the experiment.
But Sochan is a great guy. Him struggling in a position he never played isn’t his fault and all the stick he gets is absolutely undeserved.
I don’t think PG Sochan will ever really materialize, but still hope it will, and if not that he’ll at least take away some otherwise valuable skills.
I am all in on the process. Saw this live during TP9 and Manu formative years in NBA. Now I get it why PATFO brings back Brett into the fold.
Trust the process.
Worst case he learns some skills and goes back into power forward next season after we draft a real pg.
Best case wemby scores 25 points a game and we get eliminated first round.
Idk, sounds like an easy decision.
I like how Sochan is keeping a positive attitude and attributes this experience to bettering him as a player. I feel like Pop wants him to be a better version of Kyle Anderson when he was with the spurs. He definitely has the potential to be.
Any other franchise would smartly put Tre at the start and let Sochan develop as off the bench. So this tells me Pop is strategizing for another tank season. Just not bottom three this time. Wemby will win us more games this year but we still gotta remember that this is for the most part still the same team that tanked last year.