Jeremy Sochan lived to see himself selected by the Spurs in the first round of the draft. The rookie earned his starting role from day one and never looked back. However, he still has something to work on, namely in shooting. Luckily, Sochan doesn’t waste any time and has no problem experimenting to get better.
On December 19, 2022, Sochan debuted his new, unorthodox shooting uniform. This was met with some jokes and snide remarks, the internet is never kind. To be fair, it’s not really that different from a traditional shot, with one caveat. He only uses one hand.
Despite the criticism, it’s actually not as weird as some people think, and not necessarily new. Player development coaches will use a variety of creative ways to bring a player into shape. The secondary or guiding hand is in any case the guiding hand. The vast majority of throws come from a player’s main hand, so it’s only reasonable to eliminate the extra hand if it becomes an obstacle or causes the dominant hand to slouch.
The shot itself may seem odd, and Sochan definitely heard the teasing, but he doesn’t seem to care. His focus is on how to become a better basketball player. All that matters is getting the ball into the basket.
“I just trust this process,” Sochan told Yahoo Sports spokesman Cody Taylor. “I don’t care what people outside the organization say. I believe in my coaches and teammates, they help me and I think everything is going well.”
NBA legend Rick Barry was known for his unusual underhand free throw technique, but he finished his career with one of the best free throws in NBA history (89.3%) and led the league for seven different seasons. He famously quotes his father when asked about what it looked like.
“[He] said, “Son, they can’t laugh at you if you make them.” And he was right,” Barry said.
Despite some negative comments, Spurs fans also expressed optimism and support.
This is a kicker for Sochan, he makes them. Prior to his first one-handed throw, he was throwing a dismal 45.8% from the line, since then he has been throwing 75%. Not to mention he’s shooting 2.7 per game compared to 1.0 per game before.
So, this is all a very small amount of sample data, but it points to a few things. Firstly, it is more convenient for him to attack the basket, which is important for a powerful forward. Sochan is 6ft 9in but plays bigger. If he’s going to hit in the low stance, he doesn’t have to be afraid to get to the free throw line.
Secondly, he is ready to adapt and change his game even in the middle of the rookie season. This testifies to the organization’s great confidence in his development and speaks of his coaching abilities. Most likely this shooting uniform is temporary, it is a way to help him in shooting development. But who knows, maybe that’s the way things are for him. There is improvement, and I hope it will only continue.
However, it may take a minute for Spurs fans to understand the situation.
