It's becoming increasingly clear that San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan may not have a future with the team. This after him playing just a combined 18 minutes in home games against the Golden State Warriors.
While he did play more in their second game against Golden State, he has clearly lost playing time to recent addition Luke Kornet. [That spells major trouble for Sochan](https://airalamo.com/san-antonio-spurs-all-but-guaranteeing-jeremy-sochan-offseason-departure), who has struggled to find a role as the Spurs have improved their roster.
In his defense, he has played well since returning from injury, though so has Kornet, and Coach Mitch Johnson seemingly favors him over playing Sochan big minutes. This is despite Sochan showing that his offseason work to improve his shot may have paid off.
In three of his first six games since making his season debut, he has hit a three and did so against the Warriors in limited minutes. The small sample size prevents us from knowing just how real his improved shot is, and he may not get much more of a chance to prove it.
The San Antonio Spurs are seemingly out on Jeremy Sochan
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Sochan has seemingly fallen out of favor with Coach Johnson for several reasons. The first being the aforementioned Kornet, who gives the Spurs more size with him being five inches taller.
Pairing him with Victor Wembanyama has yielded much better results than the Sochan and Wembanyama pairing. Kornet is also arguably a better offensive fit, with him being a terrific lob threat, giving San Antonio a more consistent form of offense than what Sochan can provide.
On the flip side, Sochan is a far better perimeter defender, with Kornet being more of a rim protector. Unfortunately for him, with Stephon Castle playing a larger role and him being a defensive menace, the need for Sochan's perimeter defense has been lessened.
Jeremy Sochan still has value, but perhaps not on the Spurs
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Don't get me wrong, it's still useful, but only if Sohan can figure out a way to be consistent offensively. Of course, if he is in Johnson's doghouse, then he won't get the opportunity to do so, which doesn't bode well for his future in San Antonio.
Especially after he and the Spurs failed to agree to terms on a contract extension. With him hitting restricted free agency this summer, the Spurs may be resigned to either letting him leave in free agency or potentially even moving him ahead of the trade deadline.
Although he is a fan favorite, perhaps it might be for the best. After all, San Antonio has plenty of non-shooters, and if Sochan's early shooting improvement is a fluke, then he is much less valuable.
If it isn't, then he will have to make the most of limited minutes to prove otherwise. Hopefully he will, but I'm beginning to think that this may be Sochan's final season with the Spurs.