While the NBA offseason is ripe with trade rumors and draft speculation, it is also one of the only times of year when established players can work on their games. The San Antonio Spurs, it seems, are spending their summers in the gym for the most part.
While Victor Wembanyama spends his summer with Chinese monks, Jeremy Sochan is traveling the world to prepare for EuroBasket, where he will be representing Poland.
In San Antonio, the players who stayed in town are in the gym "two and a half hours every day," according to Blake Wesley. While Sochan isn't with the team, he is spending the summer working on the weakest part of his game: 3-point shooting.
Sochan is an elite defender, a capable facilitator, an underrated ball-handler, and an excellent rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. However, over three NBA seasons, he has shot only 29 percent from 3-point range on limited attempts.
This summer, in gyms around the world, Sochan has made improving his shot a priority, and based on empty-gym footage, he's finding some success.
Sochan has tucked in his elbows, removed the hitch from his shot to an extent, and seems to be getting the ball more up instead of out. It's a basic improvement, although if he can be a servicable shooter next season, he could emerge as one of the best two-way players in the league instead of just a defensive specialist.
With the high release point, slight hitch, and tucked elbows, Sochan looks a bit like Mikal Bridges, who also transformed his shot last summer.
In his first six seasons in the league, Bridges shot 37.5 percent from deep. Last summer, he altered his shot to look a bit more like Sochan's current form, and dipped to 35.4 percent, the lowest mark since his rookie season.
While 35.4 percent is a clear regression for Bridges, it would be a massive improvement for Sochan. The league average last season was an even 36 percent, and if Sochan can sniff that number, there's no reason for him not to crack the starting lineup as a capable scorer and excellent defender.
Bridges is far and away from an elite offensive player, although he was the fourth-leading scorer on one of the best teams in the NBA, and Sochan has a runway to be just as good, provided his training carries over into the regular season.
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