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Mitch Johnson flipped Spurs rotation with one bold change and here’s what happened next originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When Mitch Johnson’s San Antonio Spurs acquired Harrison Barnes, the idea was to surround Victor Wembanyama with a veteran who could space the floor. It worked early on, as Barnes was hitting corner threes and providing a steady presence.
However, Barnes began to lose a step as the season went on, and Johnson eventually made the bold choice to move him to the bench in favor of Julian Champagnie. Veteran analyst Zach Lowe praised the decision this week.
“Moving Harrison Barnes to the bench in favor of Julian Champagnie,” Lowe said. “It's one of the most important mid-season adjustments a coach has made in a long time. It completely changed the Spurs because Harrison Barnes was the safest guy to put your center on. Mitch Johnson had to go to Harrison Barnes.”
Opponents had begun exploiting Barnes as a defensive mismatch. Without the same driving threat he once had, rivals could comfortably hide slower, rim-protecting centers on him. Those defenders would often ignore him on the perimeter and build a wall to limit drives from Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox.
Despite Barnes not having come off the bench regularly in over a decade, Johnson showed a real big move in making the change. However, inserting Champagnie into the starting five alongside Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Wembanyama ultimately improved the team’s structure.
Champagnie brought defensive versatility, added weak-side rim protection and high-energy rebounding next to Wembanyama. It ultimately shifted the Spurs’ overall balance on both ends of the floor. They completely shattered expectations this year and are now headed to the Western Conference Finals to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
More NBA news:
- Spurs Teammate's 'Best Team in NBA' Claim Just Got Hit With Reality After Victor Wembanyama’s MVP Race Slide
- Thunder's defense faces Victor Wembanyama test against Spurs in playoff
- Spurs’ secret weapon isn’t just Victor Wembanyama – it’s this 3-headed playmaking monster
- Warriors' Steve Kerr news means it's time to talk about LeBron and Steph
- Victor Wembanyama is breaking the playoff blueprint in real time and Thunder can’t ignore it
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