Sochan was as close to a no-brainer pick there as it comes, given who else was available and the Spurs' needs at the time. I'm glad the FO didn't outsmart themselves.
The argument before the draft was Sochan or Sharpe, who will be better. Spurs should have tried to move up in the draft with a trade. No word they even tried.Still think who gives a F*ck as Sharpe wasn't an option at the time we were picking.
PS: "Sochan is unathletic, he has no burst"
And Sochan is quickly becoming overrated by this board. Ugly overall game and still can't shoot.
I want to see exciting players on the court not some clown with pink hair who is more defense.
Yeah, definitely. I was miffed when rumors floated about Mark Williams. I did like Duren, but Sochan was the right call. The previous year the no-brainer was Sengun; thankfully they didn't blow it again.
The question is who he'll be better than who was picked above him. This is looking like a pretty strong draft, really, and Sochan could easily plateau as a very high-level role player, but the possibilities of what he could become are astounding.
You're just a Sharpe simp, so every player is terrible compared to him. Running and jumping is all you see.
To me, Sharpe is in the same mold as Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. They both fell off considerably their second years after some promise. This is because they have little to no actual foundation in playing basketball. Instinctive talent can take you so far in the NBA, then professionals know how to play you, take away everything. Do you have counters? Do you have the grit to improve? What's your mentality when you've got to dig in?
Not only did Sharpe lose an entire year of development sitting out at Kentucky, where he wasn't even playing high school guys, he's not actually that good this year - certainly worse than Green or Kuminga were their rookie years.
Some people want highlight reel others can appreciate, basketball skills, IQ and fundamentals... And not comparing obviously, but Duncan wasn't "exciting" for a lot of people who couldn't appreciate the Big Fundamental...
Yeah, BBIQ make the difference basically. and that's what is sometimes undermined with superstars, how high BBIQ players most are.
Last edited by JPB; 01-12-2023 at 12:06 PM.
The only thing missing is a jumpshot. And Sochan is very much willing to work on his FT and shooting mechanics. I have no doubt they’ll figure it out. He is already an elite defensive player guarding 1-5 in his rookie year. He can rebound and push the ball, with great court vision. Yes, he makes TO’s but those he needs to do and adjust. Year two, Sochan will surprise a lot of people.
I dont know...........I like Sochan, but I still think Jalen Duren has more upside.
Jalen Duren stats
7.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 61% FG
It took 30 games for Jalen Duren to get into the starting lineup, and ever since, he’s averaged 11.4 rebounds per game. He’s also raised his scoring to 8.6 points per game, settling into averaging nearly a double-double. Keep in mind he’s just 19 years old. Even as a rookie, Duren ranks fourth in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage, giving Pistons flashbacks of Andre Drummond. We can’t wait to see what else he has in store, especially with a more complete roster
But that's the point, Andre Drummond type players aren't that valuable in the NBA anymore, he's been bouncing around trying to command a big contract for a few years and failing to stick anywhere. Meanwhile, versatile forwards with all around skillsets are much harder to come by. He11, although they're not exactly the same type, if we really wanted a center we could have easily taken Kessler (with our 20th pick) or Koloko (with our 25th pick) if we wanted to, and there are such options every year, both in the draft and in free agency. Or just keep Poeltl, for God sakes.
So even if Duren has (somewhat) exceeded expectations (mainly in how fast he's been able to produce), he's largely who we expected (a physical beast who crashes the boards like a madman but is raw and with a limited offensive game). Same could be said for Sochan, whose overall game is even better than anticipated but worse as a shooter. They both have strengths and weaknesses, and either could develop into very good and productive players for a long time, but if Sochan pans out he's someone you very seldom come by, whereas with Duren... not so much. So for that reason I'm sticking with Sochan, although I'll admit I envy Detroit's savvy move for Duren... I wish we could have gotten him that cheap.
Last edited by Ariel; 01-12-2023 at 01:12 PM.
I like Duran, but he’s not a modern 5. He’ll always be limited in the amount of time he can play by his inability to stretch the floor.
i love Duran, but this isn't the era where his value will be maximized. he would have been an awesome 5 alongside Timmy for most of his career.
its weird how sochan is showing so many positive traits... ability to handle the ball, sharp passes, aggressive rim attacks, touch around the basket, and occasional playmaking on defense while taking on the challenge of guarding players of all positions
but overall his impact on games are rarely positive. hes the proverbial "guy who has to put it all together". as a 19 year old rookie, you arent expecting a finished product and just have to see if those traits he showed in college are translating to the NBA level, and so far they are, so its quite encouraging. he still has to put a lot of work in to become a complete player, but he's shown the willingness to put the work in, so far.
kawhi was a much more NBA ready defender, but was mostly hidden on offense as a rookie with the exception of cuts/putbacks
.................... I can see your point. But Im still kinda up in the air on this.
To me, it seems hard to assess his contribution on the court, especially defense, because the team defense is so horrible. As stated before, it’s even weirder because we seemingly have good individual defenders, at least a few of them. The eye test usually seems encouraging so I’m going with that. Comparing to Kawhi’s rookie season is difficult for me because we were already a good to great defensive team. I don’t know. For me he’s an awesome player for the Spurs from a fan perspective. He has a great temperament and edge.
Ten years earlier, he would have been a top 2 pick, yet in 2022, he almost fell out of the lottery.
spurs were also a well oiled offensive machine when kawhi came as well. there was a very clear pecking order with the big 3 before they had to lean on guys like kawhi to actually be offense generators. meanwhile present day spurs have struggled to find their footing so every other day so there are nights where sochan is handling the ball way more, nights where its Tre's show. heck even nights where josh richardson is leaned on the most
his ORPM is -2.6 but his DRPM is 1.16. honestly, im surprised the defense is that high because he does seem inconsistent on that end while he's still figuring out which risks he can and cant take. the O being that low isn't a surprise at all, but he's shown so many tools that can be refined that we know he hasnt really approached his ceiling on that end yet
Spurs are tanking. They have to find a way to lose. So I don’t buy the Spurs having a bad defensive rate this year. Pop plays rookies and G-Leaguers. I’m sure Spurs stats would be much better if they are trying to win, and Pop’s jugular would beca great indicator
he idolized worm
Love Sochan. Was totally on board with him pre and post selection. But Dieng will show out too. And I would have also happily taken him. But I'm certainly not complaining about Sochan.
Sochan has 4 months and 40 NBA games under his belt, playing in a young, tanking team... It's all about potential not productivity at the moment... Put him in a compe ive teams with a couple of stars 2-3 years from now and he'll fit just fine as a point foward.
Sochan was the clear pick at the time, especially since Sharpe and Mathurin were off the board; both players who could have slipped. He fit a position of need with a very intriguing skillset and this far is performing as expected. I really wish we found a way move up to scoop Eason and Duren with our other picks though.
Spurs players all seem to click in year 3. White was the only one who clicked earlier,and he was 23 as a rook.
If we are going to live in fantasy land about trading up, then the guy was Mathurin, not Sharpe.
We could potentially have our Drummond-type in Bassey. I like that he is now on the traditional G-League development track.
I've always wondered if we couldn't have gotten Sochan with one of our lower picks. He didn't have a stellar college career behind him and had/has some serious shooting problems that were evident in college. He's ok--but not automatic-- as long as he can get an open bunny or dunk within a few feet of the basket, but teams are going to ignore him at any distance from the basket. That may be why he sometimes gets loose close to the basket.
Oh well, what's done is done. I hope he can develop beyond a roving defender and show his worth as a lottery pick.
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