Julian Champagnie is making Spurs fans forget about Jeremy Sochan draft whiff

Fresh off his recent contract extension, San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie continues to make fans forget about former lottery pick Jeremy Sochan. Champagnie essentially replaced him in the rotation last season, which was basically Sochan's last gasp in San Antonio.

He was later released by the team and signed with the New York Knicks. Now, Sochan is trying to make the Portland Trail Blazers on a make-good deal, while Champagnie is starting on a championship-caliber team.

Better yet for him, he's starting a three-year, $45 million extension, meaning he's likely to stick around for a while longer. Sochan failing to pan out still stings given that the Spurs drafted him, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley all in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft.

Going 0-3 in the 2022 NBA Draft wasn't great, but picking up Champagnie and developing him into a starter is.

Julian Champagnie is making Spurs fans forget about Jeremy Sochan

Champagnie appeared in all 105 games last season, including both the regular season and playoffs, and more than proved himself. He started last season filling in as a starter while De'Aaron Fox was injured and quickly showed Coach Mitch Johnson his value.

Even when he was sent back to the bench, Champagnie was given the nod over Sochan due to his hot shooting, rebounding, and defense. Unfortunately for Sochan, he never found his footing with the Spurs last season after starting the year injured.

When he did play, his lack of 3-point shooting became an issue for the offense. As a result, Champagnie overtook Sochan, thus making him expendable and leading to his release.

While Sochan was a fan favorite, it's hard to debate that the Spurs didn't make the right move, especially after Champagnie was promoted to the starting lineup full-time.

Julian Champagnie is developing into a better version of Sochan

The Silver and Black went 39-11 once he replaced Harrison Barnes in the starting five, helping them close the season on a tear. His sharp shooting helped unlock the Spurs' full potential, and San Antonio wouldn't have made the NBA Finals without him.

In fact, he was even better in the postseason, averaging 11.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and drilling a blistering 39.6% on 6.7 3-point attempts per game. That made the decision to extend him for three more years a no-brainer for the Silver and Black.

Sochan simply isn't capable of shooting at that level, and that made the decision for the Spurs to cut him fairly easy. Hopefully, Sochan will find new life with the Blazers after failing with the Spurs.

Going forward, Champagnie could continue to start for the Silver and Black and help them remain one of the best teams in the NBA. Had Sochan been in his place, the Spurs likely wouldn't be nearly as good as they are.

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