Baylor's Jeremy Sochan Drafted No. 9 Overall By Spurs
As soon as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver uttered his name, Jeremy Sochan's dream came true. A year ago, he was outside the top 100 prep prospects. Thursday night, he was a top 10 pick in the NBA Draft. The San Antonio Spurs are getting a guy who has every chance to become an NBA star.
Coming to Waco in the shadow of Kendall Brown's five-star recruit hype, Sochan burst onto the scene and was a vital part of Baylor's successful defense of their Big 12 Conference title. When they didn't have their full lineup virtually the whole conference schedule, Sochan stepped up and earned the conference's Sixth Man of the Year award.
Sochan's offensive numbers might not jump off the page at 9.2 PPG and 6.4 REB on 47% shooting, but he will earn minutes right away because of his defensive ability. With a 7'0" wingspan and great athleticism, he is a Swiss army knife in terms of whom he can defend. Basically, he can guard anyone on the floor. In his freshman season, Baylor Bear fans saw him guarding guards out on the perimeter and banging (effectively) with Armando Bacot in the paint during the NCAA Tournament.
The numbers back up his defensive hype. His defensive rating was fourth in the Big 12 at 89.4 and his Box +/- (player’s +/- above the average player) was 4.4, the 6th best in the Big 12. Now, obviously, the offensive game is much different in the NBA than in college so there is some leeway on his defensive rating, but even the very best defenders in the NBA are over 100 in that statistic.
His offensive game has room to grow, but it is one that is decisive and is one that projects well. Unlike some NBA prospects who come into the league as pure athletes that need to be molded into basketball players, Sochan knows what will get him minutes in the NBA. He has got an excellent basketball IQ (I think Pop might like that) and was one of the conference's best rebounders. He is a smooth ball handler for a guy his size and down the stretch of the season, his offense elevated and he started making NBA shots and his draft stock stored.
Seeing him go as high as he did in Thursday's draft is no surprise. With the development of a three-point shot (29% this year,) I really think he has the versatility to be a star in the NBA. Oh, and another thing, he has played with grown men and professionals before as he is the youngest player ever to play for the Polish national team.
Keep an eye on Sochan to possibly even be a sleeper in this draft in hindsight.
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Covering Baylor for Inside The Bears and the Locked on Baylor podcast. You can follow me for more Baylor content at @realcamstuart on Twitter. Originally from Rockland, Massachusetts and a Baylor alum, so I might mix the occasional bias and/or Boston sports tweet in there every once in a while.