Spurs Outline Areas of Developmental Focus

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Nov 26, 2024 3:16 PM ET

The San Antonio Spurs have won three straight games, dispatching the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, and Golden State Warriors. In none of the games were the Spurs out-assisted by their opponents, which makes sense, given the Spurs are a top-ten assist team.

However, the Spurs turn the ball over 15.4 times per contest. In an effort to cut down on preventable mistakes, the Spurs have placed an emphasis on communication.

"A big part of our development is going to be communication," said Julian Champagnie. "No teams that win don't talk, you know what I'm saying? So we've got to continue to talk, but I think communication is the biggest portion of it."

Champagnie has quickly found himself in the starting lineup after being promoted last season. While he is far from being a superstar, he is one of the more reliable players on the team and at only 23 years old could be on the roster for a good while as a key role player.

Champagnie credits the addition of veterans Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul for their recent success and doesn't think the current win streak could happen without them

"Just a simple fact of last year, we didn't talk enough, we didn't move enough, we didn't lead," he outlined.

Before Thanksgiving, the Spurs will battle the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers in back-to-back contests. Devin Vassell is very likely to play in the second matchup, which could be the boost needed for the Spurs to topple LeBron James and the Purple and Gold.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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