Spurs star Jeremy Sochan predicts where team could be in Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox’s second year together

Victor Wembanyama’s sudden season-ending injury ended the San Antonio Spurs’ postseason hopes.

However, this team is clearly heading in the right direction, and pairing him with De’Aaron Fox and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle sets them up for success now and in the future.

Add the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft to that mix, and the Spurs look like a team that’s going to be very good for years to come.

With that in mind, young star Jeremy Sochan expressed his excitement and faith for this team's growth in the second year of the Fox-Wembanyama era:

Trending

"I think it’s super exciting. When you look at it, there are a lot of stars and a lot of potential on both sides of the court," Sochan told For The Win. "There is no one that does not want to play on both sides of the court. In the playoffs, if you want to be a winning team, you need that."

Wembanyama averaged 21.2 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in the five games he played with Fox, and while the Spurs went 2-3 in that stretch, the early returns were fairly encouraging.

Spurs' Jeremy Sochan says Mitch Johnson is ready to take over

The 2025-26 campaign will mark the official start of the Mitch Johnson era in San Antonio. He took over as an interim once Gregg Popovich suffered a health issue early last season, and the players seem to buy into his philosophy and tactical approach.

Per Sochan, it was a smooth transition, as Coach Popovich had already paved the way and given him some freedom to take the reins in practice:

"Pop gave him a lot of freedom to coach and take the leading role in practice and timeouts. He drew ATOs. He’s made for it. He’s ready for it," Sochan said.

While Popovich had never shown any signs of a desire to retire, he knew he wasn't getting any younger, so it made sense that he set the table and prepared a protegé to be his successor.

Despite not making the playoffs and the myriad of injuries, Johnson kept his team ready to play night in and night out, and the players responded and rallied behind him during this tough time.

Popovich will continue to be in charge of basketball operations, and he'll keep executing his vision to build the roster, but Johnson will be the one calling the shots for good now.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

Know More