Spurs Preseason: 3 Biggest Contributors Heading into San Antonio's Final Tune-Up

Julian Champagnie, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Keldon Johnson have all done well to begin the San Antonio Spurs' preseason slate. In fact, they're perhaps the team's biggest contributors through four games.

Quentin Corpuel | Oct 16, 2024

Oct 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) drives to the basket while defended by San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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San Antonio Spurs

Although the San Antonio Spurs haven’t been perfect through four preseason games, there’s been a lot to like with the Silver & Black.

San Antonio is only a few possessions away from being 4-0; the only undefeated teams right now are the Warriors (5-0) and the Knicks (4-0). Heading into its final preseason game against the Rockets on Thursday, plenty of Spurs have put together strong performances.

Here are three standouts from San Antonio’s first four preseason games:

Julian Champagnie

San Antonio’s MVP through four preseason games has been the third-year forward out of St. John’s.

Champagnie leads the Spurs in total points with 57, however, his biggest contributions have come from downtown, as Champagnie has popped 15 3-pointers thus far. He sits tied for third with Buddy Hield in most 3-pointers made this preseason. His best performance came against the Thunder in the preseason opener, when he hit six 3s in San Antonio’s 112-107 loss to Oklahoma City.

READ MORE: Champagnie's Approach to Begin Season? 'Just Keep Shooting'

The shooting prowess has been on display in Champagnie’s two seasons with the Spurs. He shot over 40 percent from 3 on over nine attempts per game in just 15 appearances two seasons ago. He shot 35.5 percent from beyond the arc in 74 appearances last year, just 0.1 percent shy of the league average in the 2023-24 season.

Oct 15, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) shoots the basketball against Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

If Champagnie can translate this success into the regular season – especially the catch-and-shoot aspect — that’d be a huge bonus for the Spurs, who were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league last season (34.6 percent, T-29th).

Sandro Mamukelashvili

Speaking of hot shooters from the Big East, Mamukelashvili has also lit up opponents from downtown during the preseason.

The fourth-year New York native only played five minutes in San Antonio’s last preseason game against the Heat, but in the three games prior, Mamukelashvili was averaging just under 13 points per game and was shooting a ridiculous 56.3 percent from downtown on over five attempts per game.

Mamukelashvili has never shot the 3-ball at this high of a volume; in his 65 games with the Spurs, he has averaged two 3-pointers per game. Like Champagnie, a potential ascent from Mamukelashvili from beyond the arc would immensely help San Antonio.

Keldon Johnson

Despite a wave of newcomers shining for San Antonio, one veteran has continued rolling from last season.

After scoring just eight points in 23 minutes against the Thunder and not dressing against the Magic, Johnson has turned up over the past two games, combining for 35 points on 15-of-23 shooting against the Jazz and Heat.

Oct 12, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (0) celebrates in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

One aspect of Johnson’s game that’s shined in particular has been his finishing around the basket; most of his 20 points against Utah came on contested layups. His performance was punctuated by a poster slam on Taylor Hendricks in the fourth quarter.

READ MORE: Keldon Johnson, Back For Year 6, Feels Like the Old Man

While Victor Wembanyama will likely take up most of the attention in the paint this season, Johnson’s frequent trips to the rim during the preseason have been encouraging for what San Antonio could accomplish on the interior in 2024-25.