Jeremy Sochan on pairing with Victor Wembanyama: 'It's going to be scary'

What was your role in his most recent colorful haircut? Sochan: I had zero influence! I didn’t tell him to do it. There was no bet. He just one day asked me for my contact for who does my hair. I was like, “OK, I’ll send it to you.” A few days later, he had the hair. I think it’s cool. It shows he is open to stuff and trying new stuff. It was cool to see that. Maybe we’ll see. Maybe another player on the team will do it. Imagine the whole team did it? What is something you learned in your first year playing for Gregg Popovich? -via For The Win / September 1, 2023

Sochan: I think it’s just how cool he is. He’s a regular dude who loves basketball and loves to be around people and loves to shed his light on life and the game. A lot of people think he is grumpy and mean and he doesn’t like people. But when you’re around him, it doesn’t seem like that. He’s a connector. He’s a legend. He just got into the Hall of Fame. He has the most wins and five championships. I think it’s a blessing to be around someone like that and learn from him. -via For The Win / September 1, 2023

Ball Don’t Lie: WHO’S THAT!? 🤭 Wemby debuted a colorful new look on Jeremy Sochan’s insta 👀 (via @JeremySochan / IG) -via Twitter @Balldontlie / August 14, 2023

I understand Victor Wembanyama is an entirely different player and has received much more hype. But as a former No. 1 pick from another country, what was it like dealing with that pressure? Mychal Thompson: “There are no similarities to me. When I came into this league, nobody cared. He has come into this league as the most hyped prospect in NBA history. It’s even more so than LeBron James because of social media and the exposure he has had in the last few years. Even though he played in France, everybody in America and every basketball player in the world knows about him. To say he is the greatest prospect ever is ridiculous. They’re putting him over LeBron and even Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Wilt Chamberlain. You can’t do that. That’s unfair to Victor. He’s going to be an excellent player. He’s going to be a Hall-of-Famer. He’s going to be a multiple-time All-Star. But give the kid a chance to grow before you claim him to be the NBA savior. He’s going to be great. But give him a chance to grow.” -via SportsKeeda / August 31, 2023

What are reasonable expectations for him for his rookie season? Mychal Thompson: “I hope Victor Wembanyama can play at least 75 games, or really every game. If the Spurs want, they can load-manage him, take it easy on him, and play him fewer minutes in some games as his body adjusts to the NBA. I expect him to be in competition for Rookie of the Year. But there are going to be a lot of good rookies this year. It will be between him and Scoot Henderson vying for Rookie of the Year.” -via SportsKeeda / August 31, 2023

Tommy Beer: This 1-of-1 Victor Wembanyama signed rookie card sold for $67,333 in a @GoldinCo actuation tonight. That’s the highest amount ever paid for a Wembanyama card pic.twitter.com/DNdohF2HGZ -via Twitter @TommyBeer / August 31, 2023