SAS 126, BKN 110: Julian Champagnie Hyper-Efficient With 46.4 Yahoo FP
Tommy Flanagan
Journeyman Electrician · Boston Celtics fan
Spurs Wire Julian Champagnie for 46.4 Yahoo FP in 126-110 Win Over Nets
Julian Champagnie just did something that should make you question everything you thought you knew about him. The guy who's averaging 11.4 points on the season went absolutely nuclear off the bench, dropping 26 points on 10-14 shooting with six threes in just 23 minutes. That's 46.4 Yahoo fantasy points. That's not a good game. That's a breakout.
Let me be real with you: this feels like a trap. Champagnie has been a depth piece all season long, the kind of guy you grab in your league because you've got nothing better to do. But tonight he was the second-best fantasy performer in this entire game, only behind Victor Wembanyama (who we'll get to). The shooting efficiency was ridiculous (71% from the field, 100% from deep relative to attempts), and he knocked down six threes. That part can't sustain. But the usage? The opportunity? That's worth monitoring.
Here's the thing about Spurs basketball this year, especially under their offense. When they find a guy hot, they keep feeding him. Champagnie was that guy tonight. The question is whether Pop gives him that role again or if this was just a randomized Friday night where everything fell.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Champagnie | 64.0 | 46.4 | 26/2/2 | 11.4/5.8/1.5 | +14.6 |
| Victor Wembanyama | 41.0 | 40.1 | 12/8/5 | 23.7/11.2/2.9 | -11.7 |
| Michael Porter Jr. | 28.0 | 37.3 | 25/14/1 | 24.6/7.2/3.2 | +0.4 |
| Day'Ron Sharpe | 37.0 | 36.2 | 14/11/4 | 8.6/6.7/2.3 | +5.4 |
| Stephon Castle | 30.0 | 32.9 | 18/2/5 | 16.6/4.9/6.8 | +1.4 |
| Devin Vassell | 37.0 | 31.9 | 14/7/5 | 14.4/3.8/2.4 | -0.4 |
| De'Aaron Fox | 41.0 | 30.2 | 14/1/6 | 19.0/3.8/6.2 | -5.0 |
| Egor Dëmin | 32.0 | 27.5 | 6/5/9 | 10.4/3.2/3.4 | -4.4 |
| Dylan Harper | 26.0 | 26.1 | 12/3/7 | 11.0/3.4/3.8 | +1.0 |
| Nic Claxton | 25.0 | 23.9 | 12/7/3 | 12.6/7.2/4.1 | -0.6 |
Wembanyama's Weird Night
Victor Wembanyama is a generational talent. All-Defensive First Team. Third in All-NBA voting. The guy who should be dropping 25 and 12 every single night. So when he goes 3-9 from the field and scores 12 points, it's going to feel like a disaster. Yahoo still got 40.1 points out of him because of the work on the boards (8 rebounds) and the ridiculous 6-6 free throw shooting, but this was well below his season average of 23.7 points.
Here's what matters though: the Spurs won by 16. He didn't need to be the guy tonight. Stephon Castle, the ROTY (Rookie of the Year - wait, he won that last year), came off the bench and dropped 18 on 10-12 from the line with five assists. The ball moved. The offense ran. Sometimes your star doesn't have to explode for you to win by double digits.
That said, this is a red flag if you own Wembanyama. Not because of one game, but because his efficiency was off when he needed to be great. If this becomes a trend, we talk. For now, it's one bad shooting night from a guy who should bounce back next game.
The Nets' Unexpected Win
Wait, the Nets lost 126-110. Let me rephrase. The Nets had two really good games here.
Michael Porter Jr. went 9-22 but still got 25 points with 14 boards. That's efficient enough at power forward, and the 37.3 Yahoo points he put up keeps him in the conversation for teams needing frontcourt production. He's been a league-winner type all season (24.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG), and tonight was basically business as usual.
Day'Ron Sharpe is the real story. You probably don't own him. Most people don't in 12-team leagues. But he came off the bench and delivered 14 points on 6-10 shooting with 11 boards in just 19 minutes. That's efficient minutes with high usage in the paint. He beat his season average by 5.4 points, and the rebounding work was legitimately there. If the Nets are giving him 19-20 minutes regularly, this is a waiver add in deeper formats.
The Fox and Castle Angles
De'Aaron Fox only put up 30.2 Yahoo points, which is below his 19.0 PPG average. He went 6-8 from the field but only scored 14 total. That's what happens when you shoot that efficiently but don't get to the line (0 FTA). He also had 6 assists, which helped. But this was a down performance by his standards, and if you're counting on him for high-volume scoring, this game is a warning that even efficient nights can feel empty without volume.
Stephon Castle was better. 18 points on 4-12 shooting but an absurd 10-12 from the line, plus 5 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes. The assists are what you want from him long-term as a ball handler. He's still establishing his role in Pop's system, but games like this show why he won ROTY last year. The free throw rate is elite, and that's going to get him into scoring opportunities.
The Takeaway
The Spurs executed. The Nets played hard but got beaten by a better team tonight. If you're hunting the waiver wire, look at Day'Ron Sharpe in deeper leagues. If you own Champagnie, don't panic-sell, but don't overvalue one great game either. And if you're worried about Wembanyama after this, pump the brakes. One low-scoring night doesn't break a generational talent's value.