2022 NBA Draft Breakdown - Jeremy Sochan
Defensive ace that's slowly rising into mid-lottery consideration. Plus, I give my thoughts on the swing points of the draft.
In this edition of the 2022 NBA Draft Breakdown series, I’ll look at Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan, a guy that isn’t being talked about as a big draft riser as much as he should, because he has real top-10 aspirations. Entering the season, it wasn’t clear if Sochan would be a first-round guy, but he continuously leaped up boards, surpassing teammate Kendall Brown and moving up and up. If you don’t take my word for it, take the NBA’s, as Sochan is one of 16 players to receive a draft green room invitation, a good indication of where the league sees his value.
Author’s note: As an addendum to yesterday’s Mark Williams post, I mentioned that Williams had lottery potential. Williams joins Sochan on that list of 16 green room invites, along with Sochan, Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgrem, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, Kentucky’s (lol) Shaedon Sharpe, the G League’s Dyson Daniels, Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin, Duke’s A.J. Griffin, Memphis’ Jalen Duren, Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis, the NBL’s Ousmane Dieng, Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji and Ohio State’s Malaki Branham.
Anyways, getting back to Sochan. Sochan is a 6-foot-9 forward with a 7-foot wingspan that averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and two stocks per game in just 25.1 minutes per game, starting in just one game over the course of the season. In terms of advanced stats, Sochan pops out, ranking 14th in the class among NCAA D1 players in defensive rating, also posting a 6.1% HAKEEM percentage, a metric that combines block and steal percentages to gauge defensive numbers.
The biggest sell with Sochan of course comes in the form of his defense. Sochan moves with a certain lateral quickness that is fantastic and he’s able to slide across and guard all five positions in a pinch. I realize saying that is a huge deal, but I don’t mean that he’ll effectively guard all five positions but that he can do it and not look stranded on an island. There are only like five to nine players I’d feel comfortable describing as the sort of player that can guard all five positions in the NBA and I won’t make the proclamation that Sochan will be able to join that list. Sochan’s problem point comes in around the rim, where he has trouble trying to block shots. He thrives much more on the perimeter. However, it was exciting to watch Sochan draw charges and put in work against UNC’s Armando Bacot in the NCAA Tournament.
In isolation, Sochan held opposing players to just six field goals the entire year, working well in that regard. Sochan also stands out as a help defender with the smarts to make an impact when needed. The 6-foot-9 forward is a scrappy, do-it-all player with the mindset to do the dirty work, including getting right in the faces of offensive players as well as diving for loose balls and going for offensive boards, of which he averaged two per game. With his decent wingspan, Sochan is able to play like a corner in the halfcourt, regularly using that size to disrupt passes across the court.
Offensively, Sochan’s numbers don’t do enough justice in describing the elite passer he is. Sochan is excellent at making the extra pass and zips his dimes into just the right place. The Baylor product also has a strong handle on the ball and is able to hold is on against opposing defenses, knowing when to make the extra pass. Sochan probably won’t evolve into a lead point forward for a team like we’ve seen guys like Ben Simmons do, but he has shown enough flashes to make me feel comfortable that he will develop into a secondary or tertiary playmaker for a team. It’s also interesting to watch the flashes of Sochan running the floor, something I don’t think he’ll be tasked to do in the league, but his touch is there.
Sochan flourishes as a cutter to the rim, getting most of his offense there and he finished at a high rate at the rim. It’s intriguing to watch as Sochan can be both the passer and receiver of a lob, thriving in the dunker spot but being able to make those kinds of reads for his teammates.
With this archetype of player, the No. 1 concern we see is in terms of shooting the three-ball. Look no further than Draymond Green in this NBA Finals series or Ben Simmons in last year’s playoff run to see just how much three-point shooting matters to fans for pass-heavy defensive forwards. In all seriousness, Sochan’s mechanics shooting the ball are poor and if he ever wants to improve his bag as a scorer, he’s going to have to clean that up as soon as possible. This isn’t to say Sochan isn’t a shooter in any way, shape or form. Sochan rapidly showed growth throughout the year as a shooter, looking decent in the corners where he used his length to get up and over opposing defenders. However, he did shoot under 30% from distance this past season and converted under 60% of his free-throw attempts, another troubling area.
Ultimately, I’ll likely end up dishing out a top-10 grade on Sochan. Sochan’s upside makes him an intriguing perimeter defense prospect and one that can transform into an All-Defensive Team guy down the road. And considering the fact that Sochan was able to finish through contact means that overhauling his shooting form could mean unlocking a ridiculous two-way player.
I don’t see this happening but I love the fit of Sochan in San Antonio, potentially creating a defensive juggernaut between Dejounte Murray, Devin Vassell and Jakob Poeltl. We also know how much Washington loves to select versatile forwards.
Ultimately, I think Sochan’s selection comes down to what happens in the five to seven range. The first real question mark of the draft comes with what the Sacramento Kings do at No. 4. Do they take Ivey or Sharpe or do they go for the most pro-ready player that will be available in Murray? Then what happens with Sharpe? A recent report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony suggested that the Thunder seem to think they can get Sharpe at pick No. 12, which would be a huge steal, but narrows potential suitors for Sochan. I don’t see New Orleans or Portland taking swings on Sochan if they stand pat, with both aiming for readier players, and even though I think Sochan would work in San Antonio, it seems they may look in another direction (keeping my fingers crossed though!) However, if Oklahoma City doesn’t end up snatching Sharpe, Sochan seems like the logical pick to add to that team and I think Sam Presti himself would run up to the podium to see that come to life. Let’s get wild folks. The draft is just nine days away.