The San Antonio Spurs are Victor Wembanyama's team for the foreseeable future, but he's going to need some sidekicks as an attempt to build a contender around him is formed.
The likeliest player currently on the roster to be on the next great Spurs team apart from Wembanyama is Jeremy Sochan, the No. 9 overall pick from last year's draft. And it's clear that the pair are building chemistry early on in their first season together.
"We probably had the worst first half so far and he (Popovich) wanted to change the lineup in the second half," Wembanyama said after Monday's loss against the Atlanta Hawks. "We wanted to put players he can trust to give 100% on the court. I appreciate also that he put Jeremy (Sochan) in the starting lineup."
Statistically, Sochan had one of his better games of the season against the Hawks, scoring 23 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the floor.
Sochan's role on the team is a bit uncertain, but it's clear that the talent is there. After the "Point Sochan" experiment conjured poor results, he's appeared to gravitate back to his natural forward position as Tre Jones takes the reins at point guard.
There will obviously need to be a lot of changes to the Spurs as they go through their rebuild, but seeing how close Sochan and Wembanyama are becoming bodes well for his chances to be on the team for the long run.
Sochan, Wembanyama and the Spurs are back in action tomorrow on the road against the Boston Celtics. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
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