Jeremy Sochan comes into the 2022 NBA draft as one of the most interesting prospects on the board. Sochan is a 19-year-old, long, 6’9 wing that looks like he was created in a lab to be an NBA defender. He was a big part of another impressive Baylor season and when you dig into his game, you can see why. His ability to do it all makes him a versatile prospect that has the potential to be the type of player that be the glue for a championship contender. High praise? Absolutely, but here’s why I think he has a chance to be one of the best players in this draft.

Stats

When you look at Sochan’s stats you won’t see any specific stat stand out, the story that you get from his stats is a player that does everything for you. On offense or defense, versatility is the name of the game. But that might be selling him short defensively, he has a chance to be truly special and it shows in his 1.3 steals and .7 blocks in just 25 minutes per game on the wing.

On offense it’s a similar story of versatility. he showed an impressive ability to make plays within the Baylor offense with the 1.8 assists per game, again this was in just 25 minutes per game. He has also shown flashes of creating his own shots around the block. I’m scared to use the term point forward, but there’s some potential there that is pretty exciting.

Strengths

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that Jeremy Sochan is going to eventually be Andrei Kirilenko. His size and length are identical to Kirilinenko and his game is incredibly similar as well. Kirilenko was more of a shot blocker, but where Kirilenko gets the upper hand in shot blocking, I think Sochan could have an edge in wing defense. Sochan uses his lateral quickness, along with his length to envelop ball handlers (Think something similar to Mikal Bridges.) Off the ball, he’s a shark waiting for a bad pass and he anticipates it in a way that only someone with elite instincts would. He’s not Draymond Green as a weakside shot blocker, but he’s a smart shot blocker with good timing. He even played some center at times in the Baylor defense. If you’re looking up playoff defenders in the dictionary, Sochan shows up.

On offense Sochan is very Kirilenko-esque. He’s not quite on the level of Draymond Green in terms of initiating the offense but there’s no reason to think he can’t develop in that way. Sochan has a surprisingly good handle and has a nose for finding an open cutter driving to the hoop. He’s also shown flashes of a nice post game he could eventually learn to play out of. Add some polish to his game and you’re looking at an integral piece to a great team.

Weaknesses

Much like Kirilenko, Sochan’s three point shot needs to become more consistent, but the mechanics don’t look too bad. And this is the thing that would take Sochan to incredible heights. Can he get his three point shot to a respectable level? If he can, he could be one of the most impactful players in this draft with everything he brings.

Jazz fit?

With the Jazz not having a draft pick, they’re going to have to trade up to get him, but it’s completely worth it for the Jazz to make a big trade and take a chance on Sochan. Right now, on DraftKings, you can bet on Jeremy Sochan’s draft position at over or under 12.5 in the draft. If I’m the Jazz, there’s a rumor about the #10 pick being open from Washington and I would make that move in a heartbeat to draft Sochan if he’s there. He’s the type of player they’ve been dying to have for years and he could be there for them. Which one of you reading this do I have to sacrifice to the basketball gods to make this happen? Believe me, I’m willing to do it!

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