NBA Re-draft: Spurs Rookies Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham Still Top-20?

The San Antonio Spurs have a lot of promise in Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham after their rookie year.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 11, 2023

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San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs rookies Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham are celebrating the end of their first season in the NBA.

Both top-20 picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, Sochan and Branham had high expectations coming into the season ... and both players delivered.

In Bleacher Report's 2022 NBA Re-draft, Sochan stayed with the Spurs and was taken with the No. 9 pick.

"He's shown the San Antonio Spurs how many different ways he can used," Bleacher Report writes. "Though not a reliable shooter or creator yet, Sochan is still finding ways to capitalize as an open-floor ball-handler, short-range face-up threat and off-ball finisher by rolling and cutting."

Branham was able to inch up a few spots from his initial No. 20 selection. Bleacher Report projected him to go to the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 16 pick.

"Branham would go higher if he offered any playmaking or defensive upside this season," Bleacher Report writes. "He's been an efficient scorer right off the bat with his timely driving, two-point shot-making versatility and three-point accuracy."

Sochan and Branham were some of the most advantageous of the opportunity to play a decent amount of minutes for the Spurs this season, a chance they may not have gotten if they played for a different team. Now, each player can take a moment, breathe, and continue to develop in their first official NBA offseason.

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Published Apr 11, 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.