San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan will be out indefinitely after breaking his left thumb, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
Sochan suffered a fracture to the proximal phalanx of his left thumb during the 113-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night in Southern California. It is unclear how long Sochan will be sidelined, but he will undergo surgery later this week.
Sochan went down in the second quarter of Monday’s game at the Intuit Dome and did not return. He finished with four points and three rebounds in 12 minutes.
Sochan, who the Spurs selected in 2022 with the No. 9 overall pick out of Baylor, is off to a good start this season in San Antonio. He averaged 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in seven games, both career highs, while shooting better than 51% from the field. He had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
The. Popovich is out indefinitely due to a health issue he reportedly first experienced last weekend. Details about his absence are not known and it is unclear when the 75-year-old will be able to rejoin the team. Popovich, the longest-tenured coach in the league, missed Saturday’s game for the first time against the Timberwolves after “just not feeling well.” Assistant coach Mitch Johnson, meanwhile, is serving as the team’s interim coach.
“[Popovich has] has been great for me personally, and right now his health is the No. 1 priority,” said Johnson. “We support him 100% in that and I spoke to him last night. He’s in a good mood. He’s doing great, and we can’t wait to have him back.”
The Spurs have a 3-4 record after Monday’s loss, which snapped a two-game losing streak. They next take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night before returning to San Antonio to kick off a five-game homestand at the Frost Bank Center.
