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Pitt product Justin Champagnie and the Toronto Raptors concluded their run in the 2021 NBA Summer League on Tuesday night, and Champagnie saved his best for last, as he posted the first double-double of his pro career in his team’s 86-72 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
The 6’6”, 200-pound rookie, who has been playing on the wing as a small forward for the Raptors, came up with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the matchup, along with two steals and one assist in a matter of 23 minutes. In terms of both scoring and rebounding, it was Champagnie’s best showing of the summer, as he topped the 10 points he scored in his pro debut on Aug. 8 and the five rebounds he had on Aug. 12 — both previous highs.
All told, Champagnie’s 11 points ranked third on the team, as Matt Morgan led the way with 24 points and Jalen Adams had 14, and his 11 rebounds ranked second, as Adams had 13 boards. But while Champagnie ranked among the team leaders in two key categories, his performance was somewhat inefficient, as he went 5-for-13 from the field and had an off night from long range, going 0-for-3.
With that said, Champagnie still positioned himself well at an ideal time, as the Tuesday night matchup was primarily an opportunity for depth players to show the team their potential. And after a solid start to the summer followed by a lackluster three-game stretch during which Champagnie played limited minutes, he left the Raptors staff with an intriguing showing to consider in the coming weeks.
Over the course of five games in the NBA Summer League, Champagnie averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 1.0 block and 0.6 assists per game. Those low figures were largely a result of the 17.2 minutes per game that Champagnie was held to during the event, but he also left room for doubt about his shooting, as he went 13-for-33 from the field and 3-for-13 from beyond the arc. That could prove to be a problem in the future, but for now, he should still have the Raptors’ interest.