Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan clears up recent Russell Westbrook comment
San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan made headlines over the weekend after a video surfaced of him participating in a word association game with teammate Malaki Branham.
Branham was tasked with trying to get Sochan to say “triple-double” and promptly named Russell Westbrook as an example. Instead of answering correctly, Sochan said “bricks” and quickly realized he was wrong and made a mistake.
The comment was taken as a shot at Westbrook by some in reference to his low shooting percentages, especially from behind the arc. He is a career 30.5% shooter from 3-point range, including 29.8% last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Listen to the first thing that came to Jeremy Sochan’s mind when he heard “Russel Westbrook” 😅
(via bleacherreport/IG) pic.twitter.com/zyFmV9DVPW
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 17, 2022
The play of Westbrook has even drawn “Westbrick” jokes from onlookers in recent memory, which the future Hall of Famer has heavily pushed back against. He even got into a back and forth on social media with one national pundit over the name.
Sochan clarified his comments about Westbrook on social media, saying he didn’t intend on being disrespectful to the former MVP. He added that he watched Westbrook plenty growing up over the years and even named his dog after him.
Been one idol since I started watching the NBA and my dog is called Russell 😂 pic.twitter.com/OwGyNJu8Yu
— Jeremy Sochan (@JeremySochan) July 17, 2022
Sochan, the ninth pick last month, was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year last season at Baylor after posting 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 30 games. He became the first player drafted in the top 10 by the Spurs since Tim Duncan (No. 1 overall) in 1997.
He did not play in summer league after reportedly testing positive for the coronavirus. The team opted to hold him out of action after he missed its training camp ahead of the event. He was still with the team at games and other events in Las Vegas.
Sochan likely didn’t mean any harm by his comment but fans, and even some players themselves, made sure to correct him and let him know he was in the wrong.
Westbrook hasn’t publically responded to the comment.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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