Gregg Popovich answers big lineup question facing Spurs

Gregg Popovich is addressing The Great Point Guard Dilemma of 2023.

Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs lost an overtime heartbreaker on Sunday to the Toronto Raptors, falling 123-116 after losing by as many as 22 points. One particular lightning rod for criticism was the play of Spurs sophomore Jeremy Sochan, a natural forward but one whom San Antonio is utilizing as their starting point guard thanks to his playmaking skills. Sochan finished the game with five points on just 2-for-8 from the field with five assists and three turnovers.

After the game, the Spurs head coach Popovich revealed whether the team plans to continue with Sochan at the point (spoiler alert: they do).

“It’s been five or six games, and he’s not gonna be Chris Paul in six games,” said Popovich of Sochan, per Spurs writer Paul Garcia. “He is learning a lot, and he likes the challenge. Every game is an education for him on both ends of the floor.

“He’s probably a little bit ahead defensively right now, but offense against that pressure is tough,” Popovich added. “We knew [the Raptors would] come back in the second half with that kind of pressure. But over time, hopefully, we’ll handle that better.”

The 20-year-old Sochan at the point is undoubtedly an experiment. He is averaging 5.2 assists per game so far this season but still needs to take better care of the basketball (2.2 turnovers a game) and remains a sub-25-percent three-point shooter (which allows opponents to sag off him and clog up his passing lanes). But Sochan is a long, active defender at 6-foot-8 who helps set the tone for the Spurs on that end by giving them far more defensive production than you would normally get from the point guard spot.

There are many who are clamoring for sixth man Tre Jones, a true point guard who is producing more assists per game this season (6.6) than Sochan despite coming off the bench, to get the starting 1 job instead. But Popovich knows that the Spurs are a longer-term project rather than a win-now team (no matter the other-worldly things that Victor Wembanyama continues to do on a nightly basis.) Expect Popovich to be content with taking it slow in order to develop the team’s young talent.