Julian

Champagnie

Harris did not play at all during the preseason, and his strained left calf will delay his official Spurs debut for at least one game. Julian Champagnie, who was moved to the bench for Dylan Harper, and Harrison Barnes likely benefit the most from Harris’ absence in terms of playing time.

Champagnie came off the bench with Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and De’Aaron Fox in the starting lineup, which is also the plan heading into Tuesday’s opener against the Thunder. If the Spurs stick with this lineup, it’ll be difficult for Champagnie to have much of a fantasy ceiling. He looks like a late-round dart throw in remaining fantasy drafts.

With Julian Champagnie getting the night off, Harper remained in the starting five despite De’Aaron Fox making his first appearance of the preseason. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Harper has a high fantasy ceiling heading into his second NBA season. The top-100 ADP is reasonable, as Harper will play plenty for the reigning Western Conference champions. With the Spurs playing their final preseason game on Friday, we should get a more definitive answer on Mitch Johnson’s starting lineup then.

Champagnie started 68 regular-season games last season, finishing with career-best averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers. Offseason signing Tobias Harris (calf) has yet to play this preseason, and the same can be said for De’Aaron Fox (undisclosed soreness). With those two veterans out, Champagnie has kept his starting spot without fuss. Does that remain the case once Harris and Fox are healthy enough to play? The answer will affect Champagnie’s fantasy ceiling, as he’s a late-round option at best in most leagues.

Instead of simply exercising his option worth $3 million, the Spurs have rewarded Champagnie handsomely with a new contract. Appearing in all 82 regular-season games, starting 68, the 6-foot-7 wing averaged 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.4 three-pointers, shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the foul line. While the Spurs did add more size via the draft, selecting Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr., Champagnie should still figure prominently in the team’s rotation next season.

Champagnie’s impact can be seen by splitting Wednesday’s contest into two halves. In the first half, he sank five threes, including one to beat the buzzer before halftime, to tally 15 points and nearly a team-best plus-9 rating. But after halftime, he went 0-of-5 from the field, produced one point, and was tied for a team-worst minus-17 rating. A more consistent game may have prevented San Antonio from completely squandering a 14-point lead. Yet, Champagnie continues to shoot the three well of late, and will have another opportunity to produce from beyond the arc on Friday in Game 2.

Champagnie came through with his second 20-point game of the Western Conference Finals, helping the Spurs clinch their first NBA Finals trip in 12 years. Shooting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, the Spurs’ forward knocked down key shots at key times, including one triple that extended San Antonio’s lead to 11 with 5:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. Champagnie and the Spurs will host the Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

While the Spurs lost on Tuesday, Champagnie found his shooting rhythm and was somewhat of a bright spot. The fourth-year forward broke out of a major shooting slump from beyond the arc, where he’d shot 6-of-31 entering Game 5. The hot shooting allowed him to put forth his best offensive game of the series — the Spurs will need more of the same on Thursday from Champagnie to help keep the season alive.

After shooting a combined 4-of-19 from beyond the arc in Games 3 through 5, Champagnie found his shot in Friday’s series clincher. The Spurs’ wing knocked down four of nine attempts in the 139-109 victory and finished a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. Given the test that awaits in the conference finals, the Spurs will need a consistent Champagnie if they’re to knock off the Thunder. Game 1 is on Monday in Oklahoma City.

Champagnie shot a respectable 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, but his attempt that would have won the game missed the mark as time expired. On a night when Victor Wembanyama shot 5-of-17 from the field and De’Aaron Fox (10/3/6) shot 5-of-14 and committed six turnovers, Champagnie gave the Spurs welcome contributions on both ends of the floor. Also, his two offensive rebounds helped spark the late rally that fell two points short. The Spurs host Game 2 on Wednesday night.