Inside The Wizards

Wizards Two-Way Player Impressing in Opportunity

The Washington Wizards have a player making the most of his minutes.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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With so many Washington Wizards out with injuries, players lower on the depth chart have been forced to step up in key minutes.

Nobody from this new cast of characters has made an impact larger than two-way forward Justin Champagnie.

Champagnie, 23, has averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Wizards over the last three games. His breakout performance came against the Denver Nuggets when he scored 23 points to help the team win and snap a 16-game losing streak. He responded the next night against the Memphis Grizzlies with 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting, impressing Wizards head coach Brian Keefe.

“He’s shown who he is," Keefe said after the team's last game against the Memphis Grizzlies. "The guy is a good defender, open shot maker, cutter. Defensively, physical, active guy and then his offensive rebounding. I've been pleased with him. This is part of his development getting these opportunities. [I’ve] been happy with the minutes that he's played for us.”

As long as players like Kyle Kuzma, Corey Kispert and Kyshawn George remain out, Champagnie should get an opportunity. With only three games over the course of the next week or so, those opportunities may not be as large as they have been, but he is proving that he deserves a shot to earn his spot.

Champagnie can only be on the roster for a finite amount of games given his two-way status, but the more he plays like this for the Wizards, the more likely he is to have a shot to earn a standard contract either in Washington or elsewhere.

The Wizards are back in action on Friday as they travel to the midwest to face the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

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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.

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