Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan plans to share what he knows about the Spurs in the NBA Finals, including how to wear down former teammate Victor Wembanyama.
New York Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan says he intends to give his team everything he knows about the San Antonio Spurs, the franchise that drafted and then waived him this season, as the two meet in the NBA Finals.
"Whether I'm playing or not, it's important to feed all the information I have," Sochan told the New York Post. "And I think I know quite a lot. I'm watching their games now, I'm seeing the old plays we ran, when they go up to certain people and at what times, it's pretty obvious to see."
Sochan, 23, spent parts of four seasons in San Antonio after the Spurs took him ninth overall in 2022. He played alongside Victor Wembanyama, the Western Conference finals MVP, before the Spurs waived him Feb. 11. The Knicks signed him two days later.
His knowledge of Wembanyama is the part the Knicks may value most. Sochan said the key to slowing the 7-foot-4 center is wearing him down.
"He's one of the hardest workers I've ever seen, and he works on it all the time, but he gets tired," Sochan said. "It's natural, being that tall, he gets tired."
Sochan said the Knicks should be physical with Wembanyama and force him to move.
"With the team we have, I think it's important to give him different looks and, not beat him up, but be very physical with him and make him run," he said. "And he's gonna get tired and he's gonna have to take some plays off, in my opinion."
The scouting comes without hard feelings. Sochan called Wembanyama a close friend and said he helped the French star adjust to the United States after he arrived in 2023.
"That's my brother," Sochan said. "Me and him, I came into the league and then he got drafted, we just had a connection from the start, a natural one. On the court, off the court."
Sochan has appeared in a reserve role for New York, playing 16 regular-season games and five in the playoffs. His value in the Finals may be as much advisory as on the floor.
Because he played for both teams this season, Sochan is guaranteed a championship ring regardless of the outcome. The NBA has no rule requiring teams to give rings to former players, but it is common practice. In 2021, Torrey Craig faced his former team in the Finals after a midseason trade from Milwaukee to Phoenix; the Bucks won and offered him a ring, which he declined.
The Spurs and Knicks open the series Wednesday in San Antonio, a rematch of the 1999 Finals that San Antonio won in five games.
