If you were to look at the Spurs' roster and pick a player who you'd think has the most room to improve his game, you'd most likely land on Jeremy Sochan. He's the guy who shoots one-handed free throws, has a hitch in his jumpshot, and is overall inconsistent when it comes to his offensive production. That also means he stands to shock the world when he breaks out.
As special as he is as a defender, we know that everyone values offense more highly. It's not an absurd notion. You have to score points to win the game, and if one of your players struggles in that area, you don't need a high-level defender to stop them. They'll stop themselves. But he's not getting enough credit for his selflessness and desire to win.
His decision to shoot free throws in the most absurd way we've seen since the underhanded form Rick Barry used decades ago. But he does it because it works for him, despite knowing people are going to snicker at him. Sochan doesn't concern himself with the opinions of others, though. He just wanted to win, and that's the mentality that will propel him to a breakout season.
Jeremy Sochan will surprise people this season
The Polish Prince's calf strain is a gift and a curse in the respect that he'll be unable to participate in the EuroBasket Tournament this summer. He was looking forward to showing off what he's been working on, and fans were ready to see it. He's been an integral part of the Spurs' defensive efforts, but the videos shared on social media show that Sochan has been working on his offensive game.
The other side of the coin is that opposing teams won't know what to expect when Jeremy takes the court in October. No EuroBasket means no film on what he's added to his game. He'll surprise everyone if he's made the strides that we hope he's made.
FanDuel doesn't fancy the fourth-year forward as a sufficient option to win the Most Improved Player of the Year award. There are over 60 players listed ahead of him, including Victor Wembanyama. As much as we love Wembanyama, that award was not made for guys like him. He was the number one overall draft pick and touted as the best prospect ever.
The awards the Alien should be eligible for are MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Clutch Player of the Year. It's not like he was a scrub on either side of the ball, so it's kind of silly to put him on the list for MIP.
Sochan already has the defensive chops that prove he belongs on the floor, but he lost his starting spot last season when Harrison Barnes showed up shooting the air out of the ball.
If the former Baylor star shows up shooting the league average or better from three—up from the 30% last season—and significantly adds to his 11 points per game; then, increases his rebounding rate while maintaining his defense, he should be a strong candidate to win this award.