Spurs have a painfully obvious Harrison Barnes decision staring them in the face

It's hard to watch the San Antonio Spurs recently and not notice the play of one Harrison Barnes. To be frank, he's been a disaster for nearly two months, with him only showing brief glimpses of the Mr. 100% that we all love.

I miss that player. We all do. What we have starting now isn't Mr. 100% or even Black Falcon; it's what's left of that player.

With his shot not falling and his old-man drives not fooling young whippersnappers any longer, it's time to admit we have a Harrison Barnes problem. That is often the first step.

Their recent game against the Oklahoma City Thunder all but confirmed what we already knew: Barnes is washed, and he shouldn't be starting anymore. Not only that, but that very same game showed why forward Julian Champagnie should.

He drilled four threes, played solid defense, was active on the glass, and always seemed like he was doing something, anything, on both ends. Honestly, it's hard not to watch Barnes play now and either forget that he's on the floor or groan when he misses a wide-open three.

The Spurs must bench Harrison Barnes for Julian Champagnie

Starting Champagnie seems like an easy solution to a growing problem, and it very well could be. When Devin Vassell returns, coach Mitch Johnson should use that opportunity to bench Barnes in favor of Champagnie.

That simple move could help the Spurs right the ship. Teams have been clogging the paint. Especially when Victor Wembanyama was coming off the bench. That has made life difficult recently for San Antonio's point guard trio of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.

Each player has struggled to get to the rim and finish recently, which has also prevented them from getting shooters wide-open looks. The team may still employ that strategy, but the Spurs can make them pay by having shooters who can actually connect from outside.

Devin Vassell and Champagnie can solve the Spurs' problems

Vassell's absence has been a huge problem, with him being arguably the team's best shooter. Once he returns, he and Wembanyama, who is now starting again, and possibly Champagnie could quickly get the Spurs offense back on track by reliably knocking down threes.

That should help defensively too, with Vassell being more active this year while Champagnie is a big upgrade over Barnes on that end of the floor. Barnes might be better equipped at guarding bulky fours.

Still, Champagnie is more switchable and is actually listed at 6'8--the same height as Barnes. Whatever strength difference between Barnes and Champagnie could easily be solved with Wembanyama on the floor as a rim deterrent.

Ultimately, with Barnes struggling for months on end, it's officially time for the Spurs to promote Champagnie to the starting five. His shooting, defensive versatility, and rebounding would all hopefully help the Silver and Black get back on track after their recent struggles.