If you’re going to succeed in the NBA, you need to find ways to have some sort of competitive advantage.
When you are a rookie, it is not easy to match up with someone like Steven Adams. The Memphis big man is 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, and easily one of the physically strongest players in the league. Earlier this year, he was able to lift and physically move 6-foot-10 center Tony Bradley like it was not even a big deal.
Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan, however, had an interesting strategy to get into Adams’ head on Thursday. During the last possession of the game, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Sochan was “pinching” Adams and punched his nipple to break his concentration.
Steven Adams’ side of the story, told with a smile: “In the last play of the game, he was messing me around — pinching me and stuff. I was like, ‘Get out of here, dude!’ … He punched my nipple. I was like, ‘Get out of here, ya dirty bastard!’ Trying to break my concentration.” https://t.co/JhvUQfNrPP
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 11, 2022
San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson said Adams called Sochan a “dirty little [expletive]” after the possession, per Mike Finger. Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl added Sochan is constantly “looking for trouble” whenever he is on the floor.
Before the 2022 NBA Draft, Sochan told For The Win that he wants to get players off rhythm.
“I’m trying to be that disruptive player like Draymond Green, Patrick Beverley, and Jae Crowder. They all have one thing in common and it’s being irritating. Being long and athletic and disruptive, that’s what I try to show in my game and my defense. It helps to get some players off rhythm. I just try to execute that as well.”
It sounds like he did exactly that when he was matched up with Adams.
