Inside The Panthers

Pitt Basketball Duo Continues Summer League Success

Pitt Panthers duo of Bub Carrington and Justin Champagnie continue to strive in NBA Summer League.

Ari Meyer

Jul 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) dribbles against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) dribbles against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers basketball duo of Bub Carrington and Justin Champagnie continued their run of superb performances into the Washington Wizards' third game of NBA Summer League.

For the third straight game, both Carrington and Champagnie both were in the starting lineup for the Wizards. Again, for the third time, both were among the top scorers for the Wizards in the game.

This game was particularly significant for Carrington, as the pick used to obtain him in the NBA Draft was traded that night from Portland to Washington, with Malcolm Brogdon joining Washington and Deni Avdija joining Portland.

Notably, Carrington had zero points entering halftime, making it look like the matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers would be his first real struggle as a pro.

The Wizards lost the game after a buzzer-beater shot from Carrington rolled off the rim, but that didn't stop Carrington from logging 20 points, a team best. Champagnie had the third most points of Wizards players, having 13. Taylor Funk, formerly of Utah State, had 14 points and the second most on the Wizards.

In addition to his points total, Carrington had four rebounds, tied for a team-high five assists and added a steal, completing another well-rounded game. Champagnie's stats were quite more spread out, with nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.

After three Summer League games, it is clear that Carrington and Champagnie have served as the best players for the Wizards thus far. A dreadful shooting performance from No. 2 overall pick in French center Alexandre Sarr saw him shoot 0-for-15 from the field, 0-for-7 from 3-point range and 0-for-2 from the foul line in 30 minutes provided stark contrast to the high-quality play that the Pitt alumni have shown.

It is still important to remember that it is Summer League. The level of competition is drastically different from the NBA regular season, so it is not a guarantee that the level of play is maintained at the next level. However, the play that Carrington and Champagnie have both shown through three summer league games is quite promising.

Washington has one more scheduled games to go in the Summer League, against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (EST), which ESPN will broadcast.

All teams will play a fifth game, but it depends on how each team fares for who they will play. The top four teams move to the semifinals on Sunday, July 21 and the championship takes place on Monday, July 22. The 26 teams that don't make the playoffs will play a fifth game on either Saturday or Sunday.

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Ari Meyer
ARI MEYER

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