Jeremy Sochan has been presented with an important opportunity with [news of Victor Wembanyama's extended absence](https://airalamo.com/first-victor-wembanyama-injury-updates-include-hopeful-silver-lining). Since he's returned from injury, the Polish Prince has yet to play more than 22 minutes in a game. That should change for a while, and if he plays his cards right, he could earn more trust from the coaching staff. He'll need more of that if he wants to stay in San Antonio past this season.
Sochan's situation is no secret. He's in the final year of his deal, and the Spurs let the rookie extension deadline pass without offering one of their best defenders a new contract. That's because the days of the solo specialist are long gone. You have to do more, and with more shots to go around, he can show that he's capable of that.
Sochan's offseason work must show up now
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The fourth-year forward from Baylor told the media he spent much of his offseason working on his game. He was set to showcase some of what he'd learned in EuroBasket, but his calf injury threw a wrench in that plan. Now that the NBA season has begun and the Spurs are so deep, he hasn't had the same runway he's had in the past.
When he has gotten on the court, he's hesitated, and that's likely the reason he only saw about six minutes of action a few games ago in the Silver and Black's first game against the Warriors. He's actually perfect for that matchup because they play small-ball in a heavy motion offense that requires defenses to do a lot of switching.
Sochan's superpower is his ability to guard positions one through five, especially when the opposition has Golden State's roster composition. But if you think back to the game before it, you'll remember how poorly he played in the Spurs' close win over the Chicago Bulls. He ended up finishing that game with one point in ten minutes of action.
He gave the team one point, one rebound, and one steal; he was a -10 during his time on the floor. There are still too many times when Jeremy turns down an open look in favor of driving into traffic. That leads to him picking up his dribble and looking for one of his teammates to bail him out when the right move would have been to shoot the open three.
Sochan spent the offseason working on his offensive game for a reason. He has to trust the work and play with confidence by taking the shots that are available. He disrupts the flow of the offense when he doesn't, and it can lead to low-percentage attempts and turnovers, somewhat negating his impact on defense.
Without the gravity that Victor Wembanyama provides, defenses will shift their focus to De'Aaron Fox. They'll look to close the paint off from the lightning-fast guard, so the game plan will still involve kicking the ball out to the perimeter to make them pay. Sochan has to be ready to cash in.
Let this time build his confidence, and keep showing off what he spent so much time crafting over the summer. If he does well, there's always a possibility that the [Spurs extend a contract offer](https://airalamo.com/spurs-have-made-painfully-obvious-what-jeremy-sochans-nba-future-will) to him next offseason.