Wizards' Justin Champagnie Has Career Game vs. Knicks

Justin Champagnie shined for the Washington Wizards against the New York Knicks.
Dec 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) drives to the basket as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) drives to the basket as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
In this story:

Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie is taking a bow after his best game as an NBA player against the New York Knicks.

Champagnie, who is currently on a two-way contract, made 13 of his 15 shots from the field against the Knicks for a career-high 31 points. He also added 10 rebounds for the second double-double of his career.

Champagnie spoke to reporters after the game explaining his recent surge off of a career performance.

“I just trust in myself, believing in my work. My teammates believe in me. My coaches believe in me. I put in a lot of pain for this, so just going out there believe [in] myself and just letting it fly and just being confident,” Champagnie said postgame.

Champagnie, 23, has started the last nine games for the Wizards with Kyle Kuzma out of the lineup. While it remains to be seen if he will keep that spot in the starting five, he has certainly warranted enough consideration to be given a standard contract at some point this season.

As a two-way player, Champagnie can only appear in 50 games for the Wizards. While he's only at 12 appearances for the season, the Wizards have 53 games to go, which means Champagnie would have to miss 15 contests in order for the team to keep him on a two-way deal.

It doesn't make much sense for the Wizards to restrict this growth considering how much he has progressed in the last few weeks.

This means the Wizards should look to make a roster move in the coming weeks that will open up a slot for Champagnie to officially be on the 15-man roster.

Champagnie and the Wizards will return to the court tonight to face the New York Knicks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!


Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.