Julian Champagnie should keep his starting spot

Last season, two players meaningfully made a difference for the San Antonio Spurs when they were on the court vs. when they were off it. The first was Victor Wembanyama, who made the team’s net rating increase by 15.7 points when he was on the court vs. off. That tracks. The second might surprise you, but it makes sense when you think about it.

Julian Champagnie was second on the team in net on/off at +8.5, good enough for the 94th percentile in the NBA. Champagnie’s placement in the starting lineup, replacing veteran Harrison Barnes, was a large reason the Spurs went on the second-half run that got them to 60+ wins. His shooting made it difficult for teams to pack the paint against Wembanyama and San Antonio’s guards. Champagnie provided just enough defense and rebounding to help the team compete in key areas where they were deficient.

Advertisement

But those deficiencies were exposed in the postseason, especially by the bigger, stronger New York Knicks, who beat the Spurs 4-1 in the Finals. Champagnie is hardly to blame for that series, but it proved San Antonio needed to add size to the frontcourt. So this summer the team signed veteran forward Tobias Harris to a two-year $30M contract. At 6-foot-8, 225, Harris brings the size needed to bang inside with bigger players, and the versatility to play on the perimeter. He has become an early favorite to compete with Champagnie for a starting role.

And yet, our readers want Champagnie to remain in the starting lineup, keeping the continuity from last season. That starting (and closing) lineup clicked so well on its trip to the Finals that it doesn’t make much sense to change it heading into next season. In addition, Harris would give San Antonio’s bench even more scoring pop, something it desperately needed last year, particularly in the playoffs.

There is a world where the Spurs could treat Champagnie and Harris like 5th and 6th starters in an MLB rotation sense. When a matchup calls for Harris to slide into the starting five, he can replace Champagnie to size up against bigger teams. Both players can be trusted to close games, and in fact, may do so alongside each…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/julian-champagnie-keep-starting-spot-131348325.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-08-24 13:13:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.