Will Sochan be a special weapon in the playoffs?
The New York Knicks didn't just beat the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. They buried them.
A 136-96 demolition at Madison Square Garden that was over before it started, with New York opening on a 20-1 run that left Chicago scrambling all night.
But the final score wasn't the most interesting thing to come out of the game.
With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined due to a right elbow impingement and Mitchell Robinson stepping into the starting role, head coach Mike Brown made a notable decision.
He slotted Jeremy Sochan in as the backup center, giving the Knicks a completely different look that could matter heading into the playoffs.
Brown Explains the Decision
After the game, Brown was candid about the reasoning.
"I wanted to play him at some backup five tonight, and that's basically what he did," Brown said. "It allowed us to switch pick-and-rolls and brought a different element, not just offensively with the speed, but defensively with the flexibility of switching and keeping the ball in front of us."
Brown also acknowledged the decision wasn't something he made on the fly.
"When there was a chance KAT was going to be out, we talked about it as a staff. I got great suggestions, but at the end of the day it was my decision to go with him because there were minutes available."
The results backed up the call.
Sochan played 17 minutes and finished with seven points, eight rebounds, a steal and a block while posting a game-best plus-minus of plus-30.
Robinson himself was dominant as the starter, going 7-for-7 from the field for 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Brown named Sochan Defensive Player of the Game afterward, which tells you how much the coaching staff valued what he brought.
A Player Looking for a Role
The performance against Chicago was easily Sochan's best since arriving in New York, and that alone should tell you how little he has been involved.
Since signing with the Knicks on February 13 after a buyout from the San Antonio Spurs, Sochan has struggled to find minutes.
He logged double-digit minutes just once in his first 13 appearances and has averaged only 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this season.
The Spurs took him ninth overall in 2022 and he earned All-Rookie honors his first year, but his role kept shrinking as Victor Wembanyama took over, and by the time the Spurs waived him he was barely seeing the floor.
New York gave him a fresh start but the Knicks already had a crowded rotation, and Sochan's biggest weakness, his 28.7 percent career three-point shooting, makes it hard for Brown to justify minutes in a lineup that relies on spacing.
Friday's game showed a different path, though.
Playing Sochan at the five lets New York take advantage of his defensive versatility without needing him to stretch the floor, and that switchability is exactly what matters in the postseason.
What It Means Going Forward
The Knicks improved to 50-28 with the win and sit third in the Eastern Conference while the Bulls dropped to 29-48.
New York has clinched a playoff spot and is chasing Boston for the second seed with four games left.
Nobody is saying Sochan will be a regular rotation piece when games tighten up in the postseason.
But Brown showed on Friday that he is at least thinking about Sochan as an option, and in a playoff series where matchups shift from game to game, having a 6-foot-8 forward who can guard multiple positions at the five is a real weapon.
It just took a blowout against the Bulls for everyone to see it.