Jeremy Sochan has had a strange NBA ride. Originally drafted ninth overall in 2022, he was a bit of a mismatch for the San Antonio Spurs. With his bright-colored hair and intimidating on-court nature, he harkened back to the mid-90s when the Spurs traded for Dennis Rodman. Like Rodman, Sochan never quite fit in with the Spurs culture.
In his first two seasons, while the Spurs were struggling to get their footing, Sochan’s struggles flew under the radar. He averaged between 26 and 29 minutes per game and averaged just over 11 points, but waffled as a power forward against many of the league’s larger, more experienced players. It was during the second season that Gregg Popovich tried him out as point guard, an experiment that ultimately failed. In his third season, he maintained roughly the same amount of minutes and points per game, but lost his starting spot alongside Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul, and Harrison Barnes, ceding the role to Devin Vassell. He was given some minutes as the center when the Spurs went small, another unsuccessful ordeal.
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The 2025-2026 season exposed chinks in the armor as Sochan struggled to find minutes at all. Over 28 games, he averaged just 12.8 minutes scoring 4.1 points. As the trade deadline approached, his name was mentioned in conversations. It seemed a suitable trade could not be found so the Spurs waived him. It was believed in media circles that Sochan’s next destination was overseas. But lo and behold, he signed on with the New York Knicks two days later. Unfortunately, he fared even worse in The Big Apple averaging 6.9 minutes over 16 games scoring 2.8 points per game.
That said, Jeremy Sochan ended up an NBA Champion. That is an honor no one can take away from him. He played in the final minutes of Game 5 and was on the court when the final buzzer ended the season. He hoisted the Larry O’Brien in the same arena he’d played his first three-plus seasons. But his time in New York ended shortly after the festivities.
Sochan entered free agency this summer and has now signed a one-year minimum deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
A vet minimum is a far cry from what Sochan may have anticipated a couple of years ago, but time has a way of altering fortunes. And Portland may be the last stop on his NBA ride. The Trail Blazers Organization has been in a bit of a tailspin itself.
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First, it was exposed that owner Tom Dundon utilized money saving techniques such as leaving two-way players behind on road trips, forcing staff to check out early from hotels, and reducing treatment staff. Then he eliminated fan experiences such as t-shirt giveaways. He also cut coaching salaries and limited contracts. After Chauncey Billups stepped down due to illegal gambling practices, Tiago Splitter was named interim for the remainder of the season. Splitter was not invited back. They hired Micah Nori, but limited the contract to one season.
In addition to signing Sochan, Portland traded Kris Murphy and Jerami Grant for Ja Morant, adding to the Island of Misfit Toys motif.
Whatever strategy Portland is taking, Sochan’s NBA career got the life support it needed to keep him in the big show for another year. If he can bounce back into form and pick up minutes, he could find himself in the Pacific Northwest for an extended stay.
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