San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan will be out indefinitely after breaking his left thumb, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
Sochan suffered a fracture in the proximal phalanx of his left thumb in their 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 is set for surgery later this week.
Sochan went down in the second quarter of Monday’s game at the Intuita Dome, and he did not return. He finished with four points and three rebounds in 12 minutes.
Sochan, who the Spurs selected with the No. 9 overall pick out of Baylor in 2022, is off to a hot start this season in San Antonio. He averaged 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds through seven games, both of which are 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 with a health issue he reportedly experienced the first weekend. Specifics surrounding his absence are not known, and it is unclear when the 75-year-old will be able to rejoin the team. Popovich, who is the longest tenured coach in the league, initially missed Saturday’s game against the Timberwolves after he “just wasn’t feeling well.” Assistant coach Mitch Johnson is serving as the team’s interim coach in the interim.
“[Popovich has] was huge for me personally, and now his health is the number one priority,” Johnson. “We support him in that 100% and I spoke to him last night. He is in a good mood. He’s fine, and we can’t wait to have him back.”
The Spurs hold a 3-4 record after Monday’s loss, which snapped a two-game losing skid. They will take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night before returning to San Antonio to begin a five-game homestand at the Frost Bank Center.