The Philadelphia 76ers famously favored veteran commodities and barely gave real shots to their younger players. That was the state of affairs for the franchise, especially when Doc Rivers was still at the helm. Case in point? Look no further than Julian Champagnie, whom they picked up from the undrafted players pool in 2022 only to ditch him altogether in that same campaign.
Philly waived Champagnie in February 2023, but fortunately for him, he was able to find a new home in San Antonio. Brian Wright and the legendary Gregg Popovich (who was still coaching the team at the time) saw promise in his 6'7 offering, and how, he has slowly realized his potential as a critical piece on a contender.
The Spurs, now having the second-best record in the league, have emerged as the darlings of the NBA this season. From not making the playoffs last season, they are now one of the favorites to win the championship –– and the former 76ers forward has a major part in their success so far and moving forward.
The 76ers should not have given up so easily on Julian Champagnie
The St. John's standout appeared in just two games for the 76ers, spending most of his rookie campaign in the G-League. But despite his forgettable stint, the team should have been able to foresee his skill set thriving in the right role.
Champagnie was always a very capable three-point shooter with good size for his position. Those two alone should have made the 76ers invest more on him. Instead, the Spurs are now the ones benefiting from his services.
As the roster currently stands, Champagnie would have been perfect on this team. He is a volume three-point shooter who drains more than 38 percent of his triples despite taking a lot of contested shots. More importantly, his value does not end there. He is one of the better defenders on the Spurs, and his rebounding has been highly impressive. There is a reason why he has usurped veteran Harrison Barnes in their starting unit.
Hopefully, this serves as a reminder for the 76ers to adopt a more proactive approach in luring in young talents and actually cultivating them to be competent cogs in the league. To be fair, they are starting to do exactly, but more will be needed for them to formulate a sustainably winning program as their core players start to get up there in age.