NBA Draft: Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan Could be Perfect Fit in OKC

Forward Jeremy Sochan is one of the most versatile players in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have two lottery picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. With the later of those two picks, they could look to take a versatile forward like Jeremy Sochan.

While every team wants to land superstars, sometimes it’s the guys that do the little things that ultimately end up being the most impactful.

When you look at championship rosters around the league, they’ve all got highly impactful players that aren’t stars but are almost equally as important. Players that come to mind include Jae Crowder, Aaron Gordon, P.J. Tucker, Mikal Bridges and Bobby Portis.

None of these players are quite superstars, but are each imperative for the success of contending rosters.

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The next player who could fit that mold is Sochan. A do-it-all prospect, he’s got the tools to be impactful on both ends of the floor. When Oklahoma City is once again a playoff team, he could be a key piece.

He certainly doesn’t have the superstar ceiling that some of the other players in this class do, but feels like a safe bet at becoming a quality NBA player.

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As a freshman at Baylor, Sochan produced 8.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. A contributor on both offense and defense, he improved steadily throughout his lone college season.

At the next level, Sochan could legitimately guard all five positions with his 6-foot-9 frame. He’s active and disruptive on that end of the floor and should be a real defensive contributor from day one.

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His offense still needs quite a bit of work, but he’s shown flashes. Sochan shot just 29.9% from deep last season, but has a smooth stroke that could improve throughout the early part of his career. While his playmaking is actually solid for a forward, his post game is lacking.

Overall, offensive improvement will be needed if Sochan is going to become the next great glue guy. Regardless, he’s someone that should be considered to the middle or late part of the upcoming lottery.

For the Thunder, these types of players are perfect. With the team still being a few years away from finishing the rebuild, these positionless and versatile prospects are easy to mold a roster around.

Especially with the opportunity to get a ton of minutes as a rookie, Sochan could end up being a surprisingly productive rookie next season.

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