Throughout the Portland Trail Blazers rebuild, GM Joe Cronin has gradually established a defensive identity with a roster built on length, athleticism, and the switchability/versatility that comes from it.
They doubled down on that identity last summer, prioritizing Donovan Clingan with Deandre Ayton's buyout and swapping Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday. Unsurprisingly, that coincided with the first playoff appearance of this rebuild.
For some reason, Portland then decided to go away from that identity, bringing in the polarizing star guard Ja Morant while signing Micah Potter and Branden Carlson as their additions to the frontcourt. Fortunately, they managed to find a better balance with their recent signing of defensive-minded Jeremy Sochan.
Blazers get defensive identity back with Jeremy Sochan
ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday that Sochan has agreed to a one-year deal with the Blazers.
In theory, that should fill the final 15th spot on the roster heading into the season. However, it's worth noting that it was previously reported by NBA insider Jake Fischer that the Blazers were going to bring in several non-guaranteed players to compete with Potter.
Portland signed Potter after he was waived by the Indiana Pacers, meaning they took on that non-guaranteed contract in the process. It's possible those plans have since changed after this Sochan signing, though it's a situation worth continuing to monitor as we get closer to the 2026-27 season.
If they do ultimately keep Potter, it could be a good offense-defense balance between him and Sochan. He recently won an NBA championship with the New York Knicks, though he played an insignificant role, averaging 2.8 points in 16 games played with them in the regular season.
Sochan's career was off to a strong start after the San Antonio Spurs selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in 2022. His trajectory has since declined as he's struggled to carve out a consistent role due to being an offensive liability.
The fact that he's a career 28.6 percent shooter from beyond the arc makes this a questionable offensive fit on a Blazers team that just ranked 28th in three-point efficiency. Then again, there's rarely such a thing as a perfect fit for an end-of-bench player.
Most importantly, Sochan will help maintain whatever defensive identity was previously lost in Portland's moves this offseason. Overall, this is a good signing for a team that needed more defense and forward depth to round out the roster.
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