Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan reacts to career night in win over Timberwolves

Sochan reached double figures for the first time to help the Spurs defeat the Timberwolves on the road.

Jeremy Sochan on Monday reached double figures for the first time this season to help the San Antonio Spurs defeat the host Minnesota Timberwolves.

Sochan produced 14 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in the 115-106 victory. He scored 12 points in the first half as the Spurs raced to an early 20-point lead and finished by shooting 7-of-9 from the field in 23 minutes.

The ninth pick totaled nine points over the Spurs’ first three games entering the contest. He looked to be more aggressive on Monday, and it resulted in his best outing.

“I think it just came in the flow,” Sochan said. “Every night, I’m going to bring energy and try and be aggressive. I’m still figuring stuff out, this is a brand new season and a brand new league so it has been good.”

Sochan became the youngest player in team history to start on opening night (19 years, 152 days) and the first rookie to start since Tim Duncan in 1997. He established himself as a defensive-minded player in college and is viewed as one of the top defenders in this rookie class.

The team also likes what Sochan can do offensively. It likes the aggression he can play with and wants to see how he can develop next to Keldon Johnson, Jakob Poeltl and other starters.

Popovich explained why Sochan is starting, as only he can.

He tricked me. Somebody has gotta start, right? It’s not like we have veterans that are ready to go. I thought it’d be good to throw him in the fire and see how he responds. He has got a lot of personality like Keldon Johnson does. He is aggressive, so I think it is a good opportunity for him to play with those guys and see how he handles it when the lights go on.

The Spurs improved to 3-1 to start the season with the win. They came into the season as the third-youngest team in the NBA and are integrating five rookies after a busy offseason. Most believed they would be competing for draft positioning and not playoff seeding.

In other words, their fast start is rather surprising.

They have won three straight after dropping their season opener. They took care of the Indiana Pacers in their second game before defeating the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in surprising fashion.

“I think we came into the season with the mentality of we’re going to try our best to win every game,” Sochan said. “Never stay too high, never stay too low. It is about just finding the right balance and trying to win.”

It remains to be seen if the fast start by the Spurs is sustainable.

The team is building toward the future with so many young players on the roster, but if it can win some games in the process, that will likely be acceptable to Coach Pop and those playing each night.

The Spurs face the Timberwolves again on Wednesday.

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