Player The Refurbished Budget Wine Cellar of Julian Champagnie

[XenoThirteen]

Tbh Champ has really impressive in these recent games and should he remain as starter or come off the bench once Castle is back?

His production of coming off the bench might drop

Been happening the past couple of years. He would perform well as a starter, then becomes all meek and passive in the bench.

If he ever goes back to the bench though, there's hope that the dropoff in his metrics won't be too far off with our stronger cast - Harper can get him good looks and Kornet can screen well for him to give him some space in a dribble hand off.

 

[Em-City]

The starter vs bench discussion is a good one.

I do think that Champ thrives in a 'beautiful game' setup much more than in a star-centric offense.

This applies on both ends - obviously because better ball movement and faster tempo gets him cleaner looks at greater volume, but defensively, Champ has been great in transition, breaking up plays as well as crashing boards.

How will Champ respond when Wemby and Castle return? will the ball get 'sticker', and will the young stars improve their ability in hitting the shooters out of double-teams?

The rebounds will obviously take a hit once Wemby is back, given the elite numbers he was putting up on the boards to begin with.

I've always been an advocate for starting Champ and having Devin come off the bench, and then managing minutes between the wings situationally and based on the hot hand (wings being JC, DV, HB, KJ + whenever it makes sense to play Harper/Castle at the 3-spot). The key rationale here is the spacing without needing the ball being a great fit compared with DV - although Devin's recent play is pushing that narrative.

Regardless, I do see an in-form Champ eating into HBs minutes, but he is don't think the Spurs can afford to start Champ at the 4 to make way for DV as a starting 3 - even if they are rebounding well, it's just too much size to give up against starting PFs (think Randle in the upcoming Minny game).

The other factor at play is who is best placed to man the 3-spot in the French Vanilla lineup? I reckon the 3-guard path works well here and do you go for some extra ball-handling and play-making, or take Champagnie's superior spacing?

 

[spurraider21]

him getting to the line 10 times against denver was very flukey, but he's also generally been more physical lately as evidenced by the rebounding. still, his shot has been solid, but not great. i do like that we've seen more movement shooting from him, and he is confidently shooting over contests (not bad shots, mind you, just aggressive closeouts that arent affecting him). but he's only making 36% of his 3's on the season, and over the last 4 games has shot 8/29 from distance.

 

[ace3g]

Justin with a nice dunk.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1996747968876368020

 

[timtonymanu]

Nice, but he hasn’t had quite the success like Julian. Hard to when you play for a poverty franchise like the Wizards.

 

[timtonymanu]

Remember when people said he should start over Vassell? lol.

I still like him and think he can do good things. But when he's struggling like he has been the last few games, it's just scary to have to rely on him in the main rotation.

 

[Ice009]

I'd rather have someone like like Bey in his spot. I don't trust Julian. Like the guy, but don't trust him in big games. I don't know, maybe I'm just upset with the loss. He doesn't show up enough and that makes me have reservations about giving him a big contract.

 

[PanameSpur]

Never liked him, still don't, never will.

I know he's cheap but I don't care, I don't like his attitude, reactions, low IQ, limited offensive abilities.

He has a real hype and could be packaged with Sochan and Barnes as a nice filler to get a forward

 

[Ice009]

Never liked him, still don't, never will.

I know he's cheap but I don't care, I don't like his attitude, reactions, low IQ, limited offensive abilities.

He has a real hype and could be packaged with Sochan and Barnes as a nice filler to get a forward

I'd love to add him in a trade package with Jeremy and someone else if it brings back a good player that can help the Spurs more. I don't think Jeremy by himself will return much, but maybe adding Julian could be a real sweetener with his low salary that some team might really want. I think a lot of the guys on the team like him as a person, but I don't trust him to come up in big games because of all those things you mentioned. He could step out of bounds at a critical moment in a playoff game. I'd like to keep him if he were better BBIQ wise and if the only thing we'd have to worry about is him making or missing shots, then I'd be fine with him, but you have to worry about so many other things similar to what you said - attitude, bringing consistent intensity to games, focus to details etc.

 

[O_V]

Remember when people said he should start over Vassell? lol.

I still like him and think he can do good things. But when he's struggling like he has been the last few games, it's just scary to have to rely on him in the main rotation.

Julian was better than Devin yesterday, tbh.

 

[PanameSpur]

I'd love to add him in a trade package with Jeremy and someone else if it brings back a good player that can help the Spurs more. I don't think Jeremy by himself will return much, but maybe adding Julian could be a real sweetener with his low salary that some team might really want. I think a lot of the guys on the team like him as a person, but I don't trust him to come up in big games because of all those things you mentioned. He could step out of bounds at a critical moment in a playoff game. I'd like to keep him if he were better BBIQ wise and if the only thing we'd have to worry about is him making or missing shots, then I'd be fine with him, but you have to worry about so many other things similar to what you said - attitude, bringing consistent intensity to games, focus to details etc.

Champ has a great hype bc of his cheap contract and versatility, no doubt he'll attract a lot of interest. As much as he's useful with this CBA, he's worth losing that "advantage".

Sochan Champ Barnes and Vassell should be shopped, 2 are expiring deals (now or never) and Vassell's hype can only go down imo bc the hierarchy of the team will only push him lower with time as Dylan grows.

I have ZERO trust in Brian Wright to be active tho

 

[Shmurs]

Champ isnt really the hidden gem folks have been hoping for. Seems very captured by the moment, to the point where he forgets how to play when the lights get bright. And his processing just isn’t very strong. Stepping out of bounds once every 3 games is funny and all that but it’s also a sign of a guy who might struggle with walking and chewing gum at the same time.

He’s a guy you stick with. But you also buy him a train ticket the second you get a whiff of someone better.

 

[Shmurs]

Never liked him, still don't, never will.

I know he's cheap but I don't care, I don't like his attitude, reactions, low IQ, limited offensive abilities.

He has a real hype and could be packaged with Sochan and Barnes as a nice filler to get a forward

What’s up with his attitude/reactions? I also don’t think he’s much of a player but he seems perfectly benign as far as his demeanor goes.

 

[LeBowen]

Champ isnt really the hidden gem folks have been hoping for.

I don't think anyone in here sees Champ as anything more than a great value rotation wing.

But you also buy him a train ticket the second you get a whiff of someone better.

Someone better for what? To be the 8th/9th man? We won't find anyone better and cheaper for the role.

He's a perfectly fine bench player if we extend him at 7 to 10 million a year. Nothing more.
Where are you going to find a legit SF size shooter who's not a huge negative on defense for cheaper?

 

[RC_Drunkford]

He‘s totally fine as a rotation player. He‘s just in a short slump right now, happens to every shooter. They should extend him next season.

 

[Shmurs]

I don't think anyone in here sees Champ as anything more than a great value rotation wing.


Someone better for what? To be the 8th/9th man? We won't find anyone better and cheaper for the role.

He's a perfectly fine bench player if we extend him at 7 to 10 million a year. Nothing more.
Where are you going to find a legit SF size shooter who's not a huge negative on defense for cheaper?

If this is a 9 man rotation then you should expect to pay more than 3 million dollars for your low-end rotation players. So yes - with this rotation he’s a guy that you look to improve on, most likely with someone more expensive.

Julian is nice for now. Hes not someone you should be excited about going into a playoff run. He has fairly significant limitations. But I’m grateful for his help getting the team to this point.

 

[LeBowen]

If this is a 9 man rotation then you should expect to pay more than 3 million dollars for your low-end rotation players.

Stop looking at everyone's impact through their current contract, then we can talk.

 

[Shmurs]

Stop looking at everyone's impact through their current contract, then we can talk.

That’s actually what other people are doing though. Saying he’s worth it because of his contract. I’m saying that he’s not quite good enough to be in a 9 man rotation on a contending team and don’t really know what you’re saying, actually.

 

[LeBowen]

That’s actually what other people are doing though. Saying he’s worth it because of his contract. I’m saying that he’s not quite good enough to be in a 9 man rotation on a contending team and don’t really know what you’re saying, actually.

2025 playoffs, 8th-10th in minutes played.

Thunder: Aaron Wigginis, Isaiah Joe, Kenrich Williams
Pacers: TJ McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Jarace Walker
Knicks: Delon Wright, Landry Shamet, Cameron Payne
Timberwolves: NAW, Terrance Shannon Jr, Jaylen Clark
Cavaliers: Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro
Celtics: Luke Kornet, Sam Hauer, Xavier Tillman Sr
Warriors: Moses Moody, Quinten Post, Kevon Looney
Nuggets: Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, Deandre Jordan

Out of those 24 players, how many are clearly better than Champ?
NAW, McConnell, Kornet are a tier above, everyone else is on similar or worse level.

For example Wiggins and Joe are better shooters and offensive players, but they're way smaller and way worse defenders.
It's really hard to find 6'6-6'9 bench shooters that aren't traffic cones on defense because those players get paid way more right away.
Yeah, we could find more cheap point guards better than Champ, but what would be the point of that when our guard rotation is set?

 

[Shmurs]

To paraphrase mod Scott: Dean Wade would be nice

 

[LeBowen]

To paraphrase mod Scott: Dean Wade would be nice

The grass is always greener...

 

[Correct Crusader]

Justin with a nice dunk.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1996747968876368020

lmao how is that a home-game and there's barely a pop for that slam? Pathetic garbage franchise.

 

[STAT88]

This Wiz team is exactly where the Spurs were in 2022. Their fans should be and are rooting for losses for a chance at Peterson/AJ/Boozer.

Peterson would be perfect for them.

Brian ’Keefe tried to tank the game away by keeping the starters out the entire 4th but Ja Morant was having none of it with his -25 +\- tonight.

 

[spurraider21]

Remember when people said he should start over Vassell? lol.

I still like him and think he can do good things. But when he's struggling like he has been the last few games, it's just scary to have to rely on him in the main rotation.

it wasnt that long ago people here were saying david jones garcia should start over vassell lol

 

[O_V]

it wasnt that long ago people here were saying david jones garcia should start over vassell lol

That's indicative of how ass DV can be when he isn't engaged.