The San Antonio Spurs have released Jeremy Sochan. They are allowing him an opportunity to test the market and find a home. I am here to tell you that home shouldn’t be in Phoenix.
I get it. You like the energy. You like the hustle. You like the style. Above all else, you like the idea of the size. Even though he is 6’8”, he is not really a true power forward. He does not solve any of the issues that the Suns currently possess. Even though bringing him here on a veteran minimum contract could be appealing, it is not the right move for Phoenix.
There is no real value added with him coming in here. If this were a team that lacked hustle and energy, it would be different. You would plug him in and let him run wild. You would allow his energy and focus to influence those on the court. But the second unit does not need that. They have Jordan Goodwin and Ryan Dunn.
The second name is the most important in this whole equation. If you bring in Jeremy Sochan, you are giving up on Ryan Dunn, at least in the short term relative to his development. Ryan Dunn has had a rocky sophomore season, but we are starting to see signs of life. Things are starting to click on both ends of the floor. Over his last four games, he is 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.
I’d rather keep Ryan Dunn in the second unit. Honestly, I might even give him more minutes. Let him keep building confidence. Let him fortify his development. There is no reason to create a logjam in front of him right now.
That matters even more when you look at the numbers. This is a player who is a career 28.7% shooter from beyond the arc. He is not some massive upgrade over Dunn on the glass either. His career rebounding percentage sits at 12%. Dunn is at 11% across his two seasons. That gap is negligible. I’ll bank on upside and development, even if Dunn is technically older than Sochan. Dunn has at least shown an ability to make threes, even if it comes in waves.
And if the argument is that he should be in the starting lineup, I’m sorry, but no thank you. He has not started a game in San Antonio this season. Over the past two years, he slowly but surely played himself out of that role. Maybe a change of scenery helps. I still do not see him as a starting power forward. He is undersized, and I would much rather have the shooting of Royce O’Neale on the floor. Sochan shrinks the spacing. He might grab a few more rebounds, but he does not bring enough offensively to move anything in a meaningful way.
I keep coming back to what I said last week when I was putting together mock trades involving him. I understand why people like him. He is just not for me. At least not for this team, and not right now. There is no real value added here. The fit is duplicative, and it actively blocks the development of Ryan Dunn.
So, like Dillon Brook should do late in games, I’ll pass.