Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan did not have to wait to earn a starting spot on his new team. Head coach Gregg Popovich trusted the 19-year-old forward and put him in the starting lineup right away.
Recently the number 9 overall pick of this year’s NBA draft had his best game of the season so far as he scored 14 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 23 minutes of play.
“Somebody has to start, right? It’s not like we have veterans who are ready to go,” Popovich said about starting Sochan right away, per Tom Osborn. “I thought it would be good to throw him in the fire and see how he responds.”
Popovich sees similarities between Sochan and Keldon Johnson. “He’s got a lot of personality like Keldon Johnson does,” he said “And he is aggressive. I think it’s a good opportunity for him to play with those guys and see how he handles things when the lights go on, so to speak.”
Over four games Sochan is averaging 3 points, 5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.7 minutes per game.
