Julian Champagnie arrives at Game 7 carrying the kind of shooting line that can decide a playoff series. Through the first six games of the Western Conference Finals, he has connected on just 26.6% from three, nearly 10% below his regular-season rate, as the San Antonio Spurs head to Oklahoma City for a road date with the defending champions.
That is why his name keeps coming up now. The Spurs are one win from a title-round breakthrough, and Champagnie’s shot is one of the swing skills that could tilt a winner-take-all game against the Thunder. If he gives San Antonio around 15 points, while Victor Wembanyama delivers and two of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper also chip in, the Spurs can leave Oklahoma City with a win.
Champagnie has not been empty on the floor. He has been more aggressive attacking the basket off the dribble, useful on the glass and far from a liability on defense, which has helped San Antonio survive his uneven perimeter shooting. The Spurs have also shot reasonably well against Oklahoma City, and Devin Vassell’s hot shooting has done some of the work of covering for the cold spell from deep.
Still, his role is tied to the shot that has lagged most. Champagnie is the kind of streaky shooter whose main value usually comes from the three-point line, and that makes his 26.6% mark over the first six games more than a bad stretch — it is a reason the Spurs have had to find other ways to keep pushing this series forward. He did offer signs of life in Game 5 and Game 6, including a big night in Oklahoma City in Game 5, which leaves open the possibility of a timely burst in the game that matters most.
The Spurs do not need Champagnie to become the center of the offense. They need him to be what he has been at his best: a role player who punishes the defense when it leans away from him. On the road in Game 7, against the defending champions, that could be the difference between one more flight home and the end of a run that has already lasted longer than anyone might have expected.
