Knicks' Mike Brown Quietly Reveals Jeremy Sochan Intentions

The New York Knicks' head coach has reached the latest step of his on-court relationship with his newest player.

Feb 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan (20) blocks a shot by Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jeremy Sochan's brief time with the New York Knicks has already enjoyed a spread of phases just a few weeks into his newest stint, and a recent outing revealed where the former top prospect's odds of meaningfully contributing to a championship push stand.

First, the exciting former top-10 draft pick-turned-San Antonio Spurs buyout candidate arrived in New York alongside upside as an annoying defender with size and feel to boot, initially threatening Mohamed Diawara's role as a regularly-deployed rookie stopper. But when his jump shot appeared even less tenable as some fans anticipated, the chances of his actually factoring into a rotation as a zero on offense quickly plummeted.

Now, following limited appearances in each of his first nine games with New York, he's finally dropped to another tier on the Knicks' depth chart. He was handed a DNP in the Knicks' 110-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, as head coach Mike Brown opted to fully turn away from the veteran defender in a blowout defeat.

Mar 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) talks with head coach Mike Brown against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Consider this as the end of Sochan's trial run, as he's proven that he's still the same player who couldn't cut it with the Spurs. Brown may still have a few fringe-chances left to bestow unto the reserve, but he's probably missed his window at crashing the crew of nightly contributors.

Sochan's Shortcomings

The Polish forward wasn't exactly a marksman in San Antonio, posting a career-28.6% 3-point hit rate on the team that drafted him with an increasingly-strange-looking release. At least there, he had actual standing with his organization as a lottery-worthy talent; in a Knicks role that's seen him constrained to the back end of the rotation, he's put up 10 total field goal attempts and has yet to cash in a three over 50 total minutes.

Close up look at Jeremy Sochan’s unique shooting form pic.twitter.com/QOkGYIj8o5

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) February 27, 2026

The Knicks already have to deal with a few space-killers in the inconsistent-shooting Josh Hart and the paint-roaming Mitchell Robinson, taking away the need for a Sochan if the more versatile Diawara is right there to hit the same baseline forward responsibilities.

And the players stuck alongside his place on the bench, the DNP zone, don't reflect well on his near-future as a Knick. Raw young prospects like Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti and Kevin McCullar Jr. are each a long ways away from taking up a consistent role in New York, while Sochan had to watch as little-used Jordan Clarkson flashed his upside as a microwave scorer in the loss.

His stock as a Knick is about as low as it reached during his Spurs stint, even if Brown's understandably refusing to say the quiet part out loud. As long as they keep productively defending without him, he's of little use as a one-dimensional piece.

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