'Always Fun' to Play Spurs' Jeremy Sochan, Says No. 1 Pick Paolo Banchero

No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero had nothing but kind things to say about San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 15, 2023

'Always Fun' to Play Spurs' Jeremy Sochan, Says No. 1 Pick Paolo Banchero /

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San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan and Orlando Magic future star Paolo Banchero will always be linked as 2022 NBA Draft lottery picks.

And the two linked again Tuesday night when the Spurs beat the Magic 130-112 in San Antonio, where Banchero had fun even in a loss.

"Always fun to play against him," Banchero said. "He’s a really good player offensively and defensively. He’s a guy that will probably play in San Antonio for a really long time,"

Sochan, who scored a game-high 29 points in the win, is showing signs of being a long-term building block for the Spurs. Even as a rookie, Sochan has demonstrated many qualities that align with how the Spurs want to play basketball.

"As a team, we played really well," Sochan said after the win. "I feel like everyone showed up not only offensively but defensively too. We had a bunch of runs and it was just fun basketball. It was really good. If you play on that side of the court [defense] a lot of things are going to come to you easily."

The more Sochan continues to preach what Gregg Popovich and the Spurs practice, the more likely Banchero's words about him staying in San Antonio for a while will ring true.

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Published Mar 15, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.