SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs ' Jeremy Sochan is making it very clear: He wants to be among the top-three players on the roster next season.
And that kind of motivation can be a great thing for him and the team in its current rebuild.
"In my second year in the league, I would like to develop, improve my shooting and be one of the top three players on the team," Sochan said to Polish site Dziennik Polski.
Sochan will have plenty of time to meet that goal this offseason.
He opted to not play for Team Poland at this summer's FIBA World Cup and is already putting in work towards the new season ahead.
"Now I have several months of hard work ahead of me to be ready for next season," he said.
As Sochan mentioned, he'd like to improve his perimeter shooting.
Last season, he shot 45% from the field and 24% from the three-point line through 56 games played.
To wrap up the 2022-23 season, Sochan did show some shooting improvement going 48% from the field in April and 36% from the three-point line as well.
That is measurable shooting development but Sochan believes that his overall skills will get better after proving he isn't just solely a defensive player.
“I think a lot of people didn't think before the season that I would give so much on offense. I showed that I can score a lot of points, throw, but also pass and play the ball," Sochan said.
Sochan's rookie season was impressive.
Despite dealing with injuries, he averaged 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and recorded 43 steals in his first NBA season.
He went from averaging 8.0 points per game in October 2022 to averaging 16.7 points per game in March to close the season.
He posted season-highs in rebounds (7.8 per game), field goal shooting (48 percent), and defensive rebounds (6.0 per game) in March.
He also made the 2023 NBA Rising Stars team and poured in 30 points against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 28.
"Jeremy is about winning and perfecting his craft and whatever helps him be successful and helps the win he's going to do," said Sochan's Baylor head coach, Scott Drew, with San Antonio Sports Star. "You're seeing that. I hope the Spurs have him for a long time."
Sochan made tremendous developmental leaps throughout his rookie season.
Should he keep this up next season, coupled with the arrival of rookie Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the young players, he'll have a great career and more than likely be a top-three player in Silver and Black.
"I have a few game elements to improve. I would also like to play regularly at the highest level," Sochan said. "It was a very good season for me. I have definitely made a lot of progress."
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