NBA Rookie Ladder: Where's Spurs' Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham?

The San Antonio Spurs have building blocks worth developing, as Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham have put themselves in the conversation with the best among the latest draft class.

San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan is moving on up.

After ranking No. 8 in the last edition of NBA.com's Rookie Ladder, he moves up one spot No. 7. 

The former No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft has been a bright spot in an otherwise dim season for coach Gregg Popovich and company.

Sochan has displayed a lightning quick first step, dexterity and athleticism while finishing at the rim, and the capability to make the open three-point shot. While his slow release has made it difficult for him to get his outside shot off smoothly in traffic -- resulting in a 24.4 percent three-point clip -- he's made up for it in other areas. 

Sochan has had five 20-plus point games on the year, feeding into his average of 10.6 points per game in roughly 26 minutes of action. Of his 52 games played, 22 have seen the rookie dish out three or more assists. He's also had six games with at least four offensive rebounds, exemplifying his hustle and grit.

San Antonio has enjoyed a recent surge in productivity from the Baylor University product, as he's scored in double figures in his last four games. In that span, he scored 22 points twice, and contributed to a 2-2 record, including two consecutive wins. The Spurs have only won two or more games in a row four times all season.

Sochan wasn't the only Spurs rookie on the list. Malaki Branham was able to move up two rungs from No. 12 to 10.

Over the past 10 games, Branham has seen both his minutes and stats increase in nearly every category versus his season average, including scoring, where his points per game average has improved by over six points, and his three-point shooting percentage is up by more than seven percent, hitting 38.5 percent from deep as of late.

If Sochan and Branham have a strong finish to the regular season, one or both of them could find themselves among the All-NBA Rookie Teams.

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