The Washington Wizards have struggled over the years to build a roster that’s close to contending for an NBA Championship.
In fact, it’s safe to say that Washington has been further away from competing for a championship than even the likes of John Wall or Bradley Beal would like to admit after pushing the Boston Celtics to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2017.
Washington has seen numerous talented players walk through their doors, from the like of Wall and Beal to Russell Westrbook and Kristaps Porzingis. Despite that, the team has nothing to show for it besides being in a much-needed rebuilding period.
Furthermore, the organization has made multiple head scratching decisions on the surface along the way, including dealing away former lottery pick Deni Avdija last offseason as he now looks to be one of the best young players in the league right now.
However, Washington has bounced back nicely over the last year as they’ve stacked plenty of talented players on the roster, including reigning No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and even AJ Johnson, who they acquired as a throw-in ahead of February’s NBA trade deadline.
Even then, their ability to find hidden gems will be what separates them from and the rest of the pack when it comes to rebuilding.
Fortunately, the play of one of the teams most recent finds is encouraging as they build towards the future.
Justin Champagnie’s progress is an encouraging sight to see
Justin Champagnie went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft and after multiple stops with NBA teams such as the Toronto Raptors and Celtics, the forward felt like he was closer to giving up on his basketball dream than he was to earning a role on an NBA roster.
However, all of his doubt was put to rest when he found a role in Washington under head coach Brian Keefe.
Since then, the forward has put in the work and developed into a player who looks more than capable of playing a big role for the team moving forward.
Champagnie is averaging a career-high 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1 assists up to this point in the season. Not to mention his impressive play down the stretch for Washington.
If the Wizards can continue to find hidden gems like Champagnie to surround their young core with moving forward, their rebuild could be quicker than ever imagined.