After turning in a promising rookie campaign, San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan may have played his last game with the 2022-23 season winding down.
Sochan, who is dealing with a knee injury, has played in only 12 games since the beginning of February. He has missed the last seven games due to what the team has labeled knee soreness and will likely miss the last two games of the season on Saturday and Sunday.
The team was also without five other players on Thursday in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked prior to the game about teams resting players this late in the season, and the Hall of Famer reassured fans that their injuries are legitimate.
Jeremy has got his knee problem and so does Devin Vassell. … There are legitimate, medical reasons why some guys aren’t playing very much at the end of the year. I’d love for Jeremy to be playing in these games. I’d love for Devin to be playing in these games. But at this point, where they’re at in their injuries, it just doesn’t make sense to go out and get hurt and exacerbate what they already have and then not have them for training all summer long for next year.
Asked about Sochan playing again, Popovich said: “I think it’ll be tough.”
Sochan is averaging 11 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 45.3% shooting from the field in 56 games. He ranks seventh in scoring and rebounding among rookies and is one of four first-year players with at least 600 points, 275 rebounds and 125 assists.
He was one of 11 rookies voted to participate in the NBA Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend in February. He also appears to be poised to earn an All-Rookie selection after emerging as one of the top 10 first-year players this season.
Certainly, the second half of the season hasn’t gone the way Sochan has wanted it to play out but the ninth pick has shown that he will be a player the team can build around in the future.
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