Spurs Rookie Duo On The Right Track

The San Antonio Spurs leaned into youth this season, handing out considerable minutes to rookies Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham, with Blake Wesley expected to get a bigger role next season.

Sochan has been covered at lengths on here before, but it bears repeating that his success has, in large part, come off the team's devotion to him as a contributor. For an organization usually known for not giving rookies a chance, Sochan was immediately thrown into the fire, and offered the chance to make, and learn from, mistakes.

Branham is in a bit of a similar position, at least lately, as the year winds down. The 6-foot-5 wing is a potent scorer with substantial scoring upside, but at just 19 years old, his canvas is basically empty.

Unlike Sochan, Branham's defensive progression, basketball IQ, and situational awareness come later. And that's fine. There are no wrong answers in terms of how players develop, and besides, Branham is sporting a scoring knack that Sochan might never have.

While Branham hasn't connected on more than 31.3% from 3-point territory, that specific percentage is a ruthless liar when it comes to his overall ability to shoot. Let's look at how.

Branham is connecting on over 50% of his shots from within 16 feet of the basket, and is even hitting 45.7% of his long two's. His stroke is effortless and looks the same every single time, both great indicators of shooting upside.

We've grown so preoccupied with the long ball in recent years, that we forget to look elsewhere on the floor, and Branham is about as efficient as anyone everywhere else.

His overall efficiency takes a dip because 44% of all his shots are from range, which should put some onus on the coaching staff for the remaining 20 games to keep getting him into more spots as they've done in February, than spotting up from the long line to the extent that he does now.

Last month, Branham started 10 games, played over 30 minutes per game, and came away averaging 16.8 points per night. While the long ball still made up 5.2 of his 13.6 shot attempts, he got to display more of his on-ball capabilities, as well as his ability to identify shots in the mid-range area.

In San Antonio's February 10 loss to the Detroit Pistons, Branham had 27 points, scored in a wide variety of ways. He hit shots off dribble-hand-offs, converted on spot-ups, took the ball to the basket, generated free throws, and even got a chance to get involved in some isolation plays.

Disregard the point total and the loss. Those don't matter. It's about the process. Providing Branham with that many different looks is how you give young scorers the necessary avenue for exploration. If Branham is to become a high-tool offensive player, being able to read and react most play types is crucial. The Spurs in the past haven't always done a good job of this, especially if they were trying to win, and if they had veterans loaded up in the primary rotation.

With Branham and Sochan, the Spurs are taking a different approach. They're empowering them to make decisions, take shots, and test their limits. It's on the players themselves to identify areas of strength, under the guidance of Gregg Popovich naturally, and that approach seems to be working for both Sochan and Branham.

So what should be the focus in these final 20 games for the duo? Three things stand out.

1. Keep encouraging Sochan to explore his own scoring opportunities, so he enters next year more comfortable taking shots. Does Sochan wish to test out a post move? Go right ahead. Does he want to see what an uptick in 3-pointers can do for him? Draw up sets that allow him to take more perimeter shots. Whatever the avenue, Sochan's offensive development is vital to the future success of the Spurs, the more he embraces it, the better.

2. Give Branham more freedom with the ball in his hands, and allow him to be the one who adjusts to the right volume. There are some Zach LaVine traits to Branham in the sense that he's a wing-sized scorer who can play both on and off the ball, hit reliably from the outside, and even get to the basket. Branham is a willing passer, if a bit unrefined, and the more on-ball reps he gets, the better prepared he'll be for year two.

3. Despite his recent shooting struggles, stick with Wesley in the rotation. He has only 18 games of experience, and that number should be doubled at the end of the season. At this point, it's unfair to give him areas of outright responsibility, so instead give him guidelines. Defend. Take open shots. Move the ball. Dial it back to the basics to help ease his burden, and get his feet wet.

The Spurs are on the right track with their youngsters, and ramping up for next season should be their main goal. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.