Sochan amazed the NBA. He invented a new throw. It’s bad, so he’s looking for a way

Jeremy Sochan is 19 years old and has played 24 games in the NBA. The rookie from the San Antonio Spurs averages 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in them. It looks good, but fails when it comes to throwing. The Polish representative has only 18 percent. effectiveness for three and barely 43 percent. from free throws. Both indicators are well below the accepted norm and it is difficult to say which is more disappointing.

Sochan has been working on the throw since the beginning of the season, but what we saw on Monday, is amazing – it’s either a revolution or tests. At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs winger went to the free-throw line and took both with one hand. This is a very rare picture on basketball courts, and in the performance of Sochan – the first such case.

The Pole already practiced free one-handed training in Houston before the game under the supervision of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, in the match against the Rockets he performed four free-hands – each of them hit only one in this way. Throughout the season – so far using both hands – he made only 12 of 28 attempts. No doubt it’s bad.

Pluta about Sochan: It’s not a bad throw

We asked Andrzej Pluta about the assessment of Sochan’s throw, and above all, about the radical change in free throws. The former Polish representative is a recognized champion when it comes to throwing. His training record is 238 free-kicks in a row. And 66 for three points.

– It is difficult for me to assess this particular case, because I have not had contact with Jeremi, I do not know what training recommendations he has in San Antonio. I’ve seen his attempts of course, it’s not a bad roll in terms of fluidity, technique. But you can also see that there are a lot of things to improve – says Sport.pl Pluta, who has been running a basketball school in Radzionków for several years.

He says about Plut’s throw: – Technique is the most important thing, but it cannot be seen only through the prism of the final movement of the hands. Throwing technique includes all fluid motion – from the legs, through the arms and shoulders, to the hands and fingertips that give the ball spin. And when all this is good, then automatism comes in.

Sochan works on the throw late into the night

– I keep telling students that free throws must be worked out in such a way that if someone wakes them up at three in the morning and puts them on the line, they must take them automatically – says Pluta. And here it turns towards Sochan. – I think that radical changes are not good, because then the player learns everything from scratch. I remember that once Mariusz Bacik, who also had problems with free throwers, tried to teach throwing with one hand and it didn’t work out for him.

However, Pluta points out: – Jeremy Sochan is in the best league in the world, he has the best coaches around him, so it’s fair to say that everyone knows what they’re doing. Maybe what we are seeing is the beginning of a larger change, the beginning of developing a new technique? First, one well-placed hand, then adding another, working on details, trajectory and finally this automatism. He is still a young player – concludes the Polish free throw champion.

“Applause for Sochan for courage”

Sochan’s revolutionary approach to free-kick technique is praised by LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk. “Many NBA players have problems with the throw, but it is rare for such a young player to take such a radical step to solve the problem. And he does it publicly. Applause for Sochan for courage,” he wrote.

Ellis points out that Sochan uses his left hand too much when throwing, which is supposed to control the direction, hold the ball, not push it towards the basket. “The idea is to get the left hand off the ball quicker. And the only way to do that quickly is to practice throwing with one hand. The fact that Sochan is willing to throw free throws this way during matches shows how much he listens coaches and wants to put in extra effort to throw correctly,” says Ellis.

Sochan’s throw and the need to improve this element were discussed before the NBA draft. Playing for a year in the NCAA team, Baylor hit 59 percent. free throws, he had a total of 53 for 90. In San Antonio, he uses the latest technology in shooting practice, .

“There is no question that Jeremy is a much better player today than he was in the NCAA. But it is the throw that he is most focused on in his debut season – tells Sport.pl Tom Orsborn, journalist “San Antonio Express News”. “Practically after each class, he stays late at night and works on technique together with specialists in the field,” adds Orsborn.

“There are ups and downs. I feel as if someone is testing me – basketball gods or someone else – said Sochan. But I’m not giving up, I’m keeping my confidence. I believe in my shot, the coaches believe in it, so I will shoot.

With two, but also with one hand. Any effective.