Champagnie has been a really great pickup thus far. As long as he continues to accept that role of being a stretch four, we are in good hands. Marillac loves him some skilled, smaller PFs. They are so much more useful than big stiffs. We have a lot of skill at the four this year.
He’s nowhere near as athletic, but I think he is just as as skilled as Sampson and Simon...and he’s willing to play PF! That’s so rare these days.
To answer Mase’s question, I think Sears would have saved the jobs of both Lavin and Mullin. He’s the type of player they both needed (along with a solid backup PG). That basket off the dropstep first half was the best back to the basket move we’ve seen from a big man in a decade. But it’s early and those five fouls in five minutes against Mercer were terrifying.