The Philadelphia 76ers have done a great job finding and developing young talent in recent years, but that has not been anywhere near their calling card back when Doc Rivers was still the one manning the sidelines for the team. At that time, the roster still featured Ben Simmons as the co-star of Joel Embiid until he was traded for James Harden, who only had a brief stint with the franchise.
Another feature of those Rivers-coached squads was their propensity for veteran players. Aside from those have already entrenched themselves as clear-cut up-and-comers, the 76ers did not invest much on developing unknown commodities. Case in point? Look no further than Julian Champagnie, a tremendous pickup of theirs from the pool of undrafted players before they swiftly gave up on him.
Now, Champagnie has blossomed into a very good role player for the Spurs, a team looking the part of a budding contender this season. Philly already had him on board three years ago, but the team ultimately did not even give him a real shot to prove his worth as an NBA-caliber player.
The 76ers should not have given up on Julian Champagnie that fast
Champagnie, a St. John’s standout, went undrafted in 2022. However, the 76ers quickly picked him up for one of their two-way spots, with Rivers even making the final call on the heels of his strong camp with the team.
Unfortunately, the team only trotted him out for two games as he spent most of his time with the Delaware Blue Coats, their G-League affiliate. Champagnie did not even spend the entire campaign in Philly, as he was soon released before San Antonio claimed him — and the rest was history.
The 76ers have always needed someone who will not shy away from shooting three-pointers while also being a capable defender. That remains true to this day, but it is now the Spurs which are reaping the rewards of Philly’s great find.
One might say that this is not a good argument given that Champagnie was pretty raw back when the 76ers rostered him, but the reality was that he was already balling out when San Antonio took a flier on him during his rookie year. The archetype and the skills were already there, yet Philly did not even bat an eye to give him a real chance.
This is on Doc Rivers and his well-known predilection to ride veterans until the wheels fall off. And now, the 76ers are definitely regretting their choice to give up on the forward that early.