Jeremy Sochan has been making waves since entering the NBA in 2022 and Patrick Beverley compared him to former San Antonio Spur, Kawhi Leonard, on the latest episode of the Pat Bev podcast.
“So every blue moon, you get a superstar out of nowhere, right,” Beverley said. “I don’t mean nowhere, I mean like, people didn’t think Kawhi Leonard was gonna be a superstar when he first came to the NBA. He gives me those vibes… Yeah, he gives me elite elite player vibes.”
Beverley also praised Sochan’s mindset and motor.
“He’s tough as s***,” Beverley continued. “You can’t punk him, he’s a f***ing sponge, he listens to advice from other people, he listens to advice from (Gregg Popovich) obviously. He doesn’t back down. His motor is so f***ing high, he got everything you ask for in a basketball player and with size. Sky’s the limit for that kid.”
(starts at 39:56 mark):
Beverley is on the money when he says no one thought Leonard was going to be a superstar when he entered the NBA. After two seasons in the league, Kawhi was averaging just 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
He was viewed as a good defender who didn’t have much of an offensive game, similar to Sochan. Leonard was willing to learn, however, and in what is a credit to him and the Spurs’ player development staff, he took massive strides offensively as the years went on, and is now a superstar in the league.
Leonard praised Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich for making him the player he is today and Sochan is at the right place for his development.
Could Sochan Become A Superstar In The NBA?
Could Sochan go the same route as Leonard? Potentially, but there are a few roadblocks. First of all, Leonard was allowed to flourish offensively as the Spurs handed over the reins to him. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker were getting up there in age and Kawhi took over.
With the current-day Spurs, Victor Wembanyama is always going to be the top dog. The likes of Devin Vassell have a lot of promise offensively as well, so Sochan isn’t going to get the same opportunities that Leonard got.
The Spurs also seem to moulding him for somewhat of a Draymond Green role. Sochan, who stands at 6’9″, has been playing point guard this season, in what has been an interesting decision on Popovich’s part.
The 20-year-old has some playmaking talent and coming into the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, was averaging 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. The experiment has been a bit of a hit-and-miss, though, and it will be interesting to see Sochan’s role as time goes by.
Jeremy Sochan Is The Polar Opposite Of Kawhi Leonard In One Area
While Sochan may become a superstar like Leonard someday, the two will always be polar opposites when it comes to their personalities. While Kawhi comes across as emotionless and isn’t one to talk too much on the court, Sochan is the opposite.
The Polish-American talks a lot of trash and got into it with Devin Booker recently, which is what kickstarted the discussion about him on the podcast. If and when the Spurs become really good, Sochan is going to be one of the more hated players in the league, because he isn’t one to back down to anybody.
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