San Antonio Spurs' Devin Vassell Underrated? Jeremy Sochan Chimes In
The San Antonio Spurs have already said goodbye to their final days of freedom from the media thanks to the arrival of Victor Wembanyama. With NBA Media Days on Monday, the team had to face all the lights and cameras that have hardly been present in San Antonio over the past few years.
But all the new-found attention might allow the league spotlight to finally shine on Devin Vassell, who is likely to be San Antonio's best player this season as Wembanyama develops. That "underrated" label might be hard to keep up with if he shows out and reaches a potential All-Star level.
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan addressed the idea of Vassell being underrated when speaking to the media on Monday.
"The thing is, I feel like if you really watch the league ... the players in the league, the coaches, I feel like they all respect Devin," Sochan said. "I feel like he is underrated, but he's a special player too. ... This is a place where he's gonna be in and excel ... he's definitely underrated."
Jeremy Sochan (10) and Devin Vassell (24) during media day for the San Antonio Spurs.
© Scott Wachter, USA TODAY
Vassell, 23, signed a five-year, $146 million extension with the Spurs on Monday to solidify his role as a franchise player. If he can take another leap and emerge into stardom, there's no reason to think he can't begin to border on being at an All-Star level, even though it might take a few more years for him to officially receive the honor.
Vassell finished last season with career-best numbers in points (18.5) and assists (3.6), though he played in only 38 games due to mid-season knee surgery that kept him out an extended period. After being sidelined for about two months, he came back to average 15.6 points in 30.1 minutes in the month of March.
The Spurs open up the regular season at home against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
