2022 NBA Draft Profile: Jeremy Sochan
A do-it-all player at Baylor who didn’t quite show elite ability at any one skill, could Jeremy Sochan provide the Knicks with one of the most intriguing balls of clay in the draft?
Position: F, Baylor
Age: 19
Height: 6 ft 9 in
Wingspan: 7 ft
Weight: 230 lbs
The Sales Pitch: Versatile big wings make the world go round. What if we told you there was an athletic prospect who was big wing-sized, played point guard, wing, and center successfully, in one game, on a high major team, despite being a true freshman and one of the younger kids in the class? Who is an advanced stats darling? Who was also a willing and capable shooter? Who was also one of the best defenders in the class, both technically sound and also capable of getting steals and blocks? Who is both raw, but shows flashes of great skill and coordination? Who also has very, very cool fluorescent tie dye-colored hair? Would you be interested in that?
Elite Traits/Skills: None
The Devil’s Advocate Argument: Jeremy Sochan has tools, but is much more theoretical than you would hope. He averaged a whole nine points per game, only taking seven shots a game. While his defense is admittedly strong, his offense is similarly theoretical — he didn’t clear 30% from three, and perhaps more worrisome is his awful free throw shooting. How is he going to get minutes early in his career to develop if he can’t shoot and doesn’t have elite athleticism or any other elite skill? He is risky without the upside to justify it with a high pick.
The Misconceptions: He hardly scored and shot, but he also only played 25 minutes per game. He took 16 shots per 100 possessions, only one less than other Swiss Army Knives like Franz Wagner and OG Anunoby did in college. Look for him to put ‘em up a bit more in the NBA.
Important Numbers:
59%: His FT%
29%: His 3P%
.427: His free throw rate, higher than 4s like Paolo Banchero or Jabari Smith or Chet Holmgren
.384: His 3-point rate
21%: His DRB%
42%: His 2-point jumper percentage
75%: His FG% at the rim
8: His Box Plus Minus, good for seventh in the Big 12 (the only freshmen among the top seven)
Knicks Fit: Probably would be the most enigmatic pick the Knicks could make — which isn’t meant to be a criticism. He played a fill-in-the-gaps role for Baylor, where older players and guards ran the show during their championship-hangover year. He would take a very intentional developmental path if the hope is for him to become something other than a bench cog-in-the-machine wing, and given the current roster crunch, it might be hard to guarantee the minutes he needs for higher outcomes. That being said, his upside is as high as anyone — it doesn’t show in his stats, but his flashes of skill are as varied and impressive as anyone. Would represent quite a gamble by the front office.
