Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Sochan has a set of basic but valuable skills that should be more common on San Antonio’s roster. Over the past five games, all of which Jeremy Sochan has missed, the Spurs rank dead last in defensive rating by a mile and 25th in offensive rebounding. The opponents’ main shot creator, whom Sochan often guards, has absolutely feasted on San Antonio’s perimeter defense. The Silver and Black were at .500 when Sochan was sidelined and are three games below it now. They would have probably dropped most if not the same amount of games because they faced quality opponents in that stretch, but the way they have lost has made it clear that the Spurs need Sochan. A team struggling after losing a starter is not surprising. The interesting part is that they need him so badly because they have no one else who can provide the rather ordinary skills that make the young forward so valuable in the context of this roster. Sochan is one of the best players on the team, is young, and he occasionally makes plays that show how much untapped potential he still has. He also at this point mostly offers value as a point-of-attack defender and energetic rebounder, which are role-player skills. His absence shouldn’t be felt as much as it has. Normally, only centerpieces getting hurt unravels teams because those are the guys rosters are built around. It’s completely understandable for the Mavericks to struggle without Luka Doncic; he is their offense in a very real way. Even non-heliocentric attacks suffer when key players are out, and defenses that over-rely on one elite anchor that erases mistakes would obviously miss that presence. Some players simply have irreplaceable skills. Sochan, for as good as he is at what he does, shouldn’t be that type of player. The problem is the Spurs don’t have other role players with similar traits, which feels like an oversight by the front office. Matchup stats show that Sochan spends most of the time on the other team’s main ball handler and creator, no matter their position. One conclusion from looking at that data is that Sochan is an extremely versatile perimeter defender, which is true. The more concerning conclusion is that San Antonio completely lacks anyone else who can do the job at a high level for extended periods. If Chris Paul and Devin Vassell could defend elite point guards and shooting guards, then Sochan wouldn’t need to do it, but they often can’t and need to be hidden. A quick glance at the bench and the other rotation players shows that there’s really no one else who can defend the point of attack at a high level. Blake Wesley comes the closest. Something similar happens with Sochan’s rebounding and energy plays. Even with the young forward around, the Spurs are mediocre at best at securing opponent’s misses and getting extra possessions off offensive boards. Without him, no one stands out in either area. Harrison Barnes is a solid player, but he’s never had a particularly high motor or desire to attack the boards. Keldon Johnson is a ball of energy and rebounds well for his position, but his impact is mostly felt on the offensive end as a physical scorer. Julian Champagnie and Vassell play like guards and are often on the perimeter. The only non-center who offers solid rebounding on both ends and constant movement and energy is Sandro Mamukelashvili. He’s not in the rotation. As mentioned, the front office made a mistake by not having anyone else who can do most of what Sochan does or at least several players who can each at least replicate one of his best traits. It made Sochan, a player who in theory has an ordinary skill set, as essential as a star or a unique specialist that makes a very particular system work. It’s impossible to even recreate him in the aggregate with the players currently in the rotation because there are no point-of-attack defenders with enough size to help on the boards or forwards with the high motor and physicality needed to complement some smaller lineups. Mitch Johnson could play Wesley and Mamukelashvili more and Paul and Barnes less, but that would likely cause other issues. The lack of versatility and two-way impact across the roster has become impossible to ignore with Sochan gone. At the same time, it’s hard to be too harsh on General Manager Brian Wright and the rest of the executives, because as pedestrian as Sochan’s main skills can sound, finding someone who can perform them at the level Sochan does is not that easy. The NBA and other leagues around the world are filled with tweener forwards who can’t shoot but play hard, defend well and rebound with passion, but a lot of those guys are unplayable because of their limitations. San Antonio had a lesser version of Sochan in Keita Bates-Diop, and as much as Gregg Popovich tried, he couldn’t make him work as a rotation player. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was the second pick in his draft class and was out of the league at age 26. If someone can’t shoot, it’s not enough for them to be solid at the little things; they need to be elite or close to it, as Sochan has been this year. It’s a tough issue to solve. Sochan will get injured and if the shot doesn’t develop, played off the floor against certain teams, so the Spurs need someone who can do what he does or a combination of players who can offer it without creating other issues. At the same time, signing someone with a similar game as Sochan would be a mistake because shooting is too important. The obvious answer is to get someone who can do what Sochan does and also shoot, and that should be the goal, but that is easier said than done, because a player with all those skills is valuable and rare. The solution might require a dramatic overhaul of the roster with a focus on versatility, but it might also simply be a matter of patience. Stephon Castle should become the type of point-of-attack defender the Spurs need, and continuity could help plug defensive holes. Barnes has been a great addition but is not the long-term solution at the other forward spot, so eventually — and likely through the draft — he’ll get replaced with someone who might be better on the boards. For now, all that can be done is hope Sochan returns soon and doesn’t suffer any more setbacks. Whether it happened because of poor roster building or just as a result of the natural holes that a team in the middle of a rebuild has, he has become irreplaceable for the Spurs.