SAN ANTONIO — At a table for two inside Rebelle, an elegant seafood restaurant in the...
Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards fouls San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan Wednesday night, Oct. 19, 2022, in the AT&T Center as Sochan goes for a dunk during their regular season opening night matchup.
SAN ANTONIO — At a table for two inside Rebelle, an elegant seafood restaurant in the downtown St. Anthony Hotel, the server was ready to take drink orders. To no one’s surprise, the first guest, a renowned oenophile, asked for an expensive glass of wine. His dining companion — taller and much younger, with a Cockney accent and enough audacity to match the multiple colors of dye in his hair — requested the same. Later, when 19-year-old Jeremy Sochan recounted how Gregg Popovich forbade him from breaking the law, he at least came up with a plausible excuse for his failed attempt at alcohol consumption.Give the Oklahoma-born, English- and Polish-raised rookie forward credit: He lacks neither boldness nor creativity.And while the Spurs’ opening-night blowout loss to Charlotte might have portended many rough nights to come for the young Spurs, Sochan and his coach both seem eager to adjust and make the most of the experience, just as they did during their recent dinner at Rebelle. “He had bubble water, or sparkling water, or whatever the hell that awful stuff is,” Popovich said. “You’re right. It’s different.” These no longer are the days when Popovich’s roster was populated by seasoned men of a certain age like Steve Kerr and Danny Ferry, who infamously used to find out where Popovich was dining on the road and “wander” into the same place, knowing they’d be treated to a free meal and drinks when he saw them. Nowadays, with five teenagers on the team, players trying the same scheme first need to figure out how not to get carded at the door. But Sochan, who on Wednesday became the youngest player ever to start a season opener for the Spurs, already discovered a loophole. Instead of taking the Kerr-Ferry approach and stumbling into a Popovich dinner by “accident,” the No. 9 overall pick in last spring’s NBA draft decided to be up-front and direct about his motives. He didn’t wait for an invitation. Instead, Sochan went up to Popovich and proposed a one-on-one meal himself.“I asked him at one of the shootarounds,” Sochan said. And Popovich accepted “from the get-go.” At Rebelle, once he had his bubble water, Sochan chowed down on a feast of blackened redfish, crab legs and oysters. He listened, as predecessors from Dejounte Murray to DeMar DeRozan to Manu Ginobili had done before him, to Popovich talk about the world away from basketball. “Just to get to know him more, become more comfortable,” Sochan said. “Even though it’s off the court, you can learn so much from an individual like that, a legend like that.” For Popovich, dinner with Sochan illustrated the way the broad strokes of his job description remain the same as they’ve been for 26 years, even as the specifics couldn’t look more different. He’s always aimed for team-building by using conversations about the world, and he’s always tried to encourage the development of leaders. Now, though, he’s doing it over bubble water, with college-aged kids who are likely to experience a 55- or 60-loss season before they ever taste the playoffs. This isn’t a teenaged Tony Parker being thrown into the championship fire with Duncan and David Robinson, or even a 20-year-old Murray challenging for a postseason spot alongside an about-to-retire Ginobili.Most of this season’s lessons will come from defeats, and the only links to the Spurs’ winning past will come not from older players, but from Popovich. He is realistic about his expectations. During the preseason, Popovich acknowledged that it would be “kind of senseless” to avoid the fact that the Spurs probably don’t have a superstar in their locker room. But the way he sees it, they have plenty of players who can contribute to a championship once a superstar arrives.“You can already see hints of who over time will be able to take on that mantle and command the respect of the rest of the group,” Popovich said. “You just have to be observant and let it happen organically. Can’t really force it.”He’s not forcing it with Sochan, who despite all his enthusiasm showed plenty of expected room for improvement during his four-point, seven-rebound, two-assist debut. He’s not a difference-maker yet. But he might turn into one by the time he’s allowed to trade his bubble water for wine. In the interim, he’s looking forward to more one-on-one meals with his coach.mfinger@express-news.net
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