PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt sophomore Justin Champagnie is by passing three more years with the Panthers to enter the NBA Draft. He said from early on he’s driven by the opportunity to help out his parents financially. How much he can help them is the next question.
Nearly leading the ACC in scoring (2nd to Matthew Hurt by 0.29 ppg) and rebounding (1st at 11.05 rpg) in 2021, Champagnie is coming off a great year. However, like his climb to stardom in the NCAA. There is another one on the horizon in the NBA.
The 6’6”, 200 pound Champagnie is rated by ESPN as the 66th best player available in this year’s draft. There are just two rounds and 60 picks overall.
NBA Draft.net, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report-who partner with the NBA.com site, all have two round mock drafts; none have Champagnie in them.
Of course mock drafts are just an educated guess. His group may, or must, have different information. A small forward with great rebounding instincts and the ability to shoot or drive will draw interest from multiple professional teams.
Will that interest be as a drafted player or as a free agent? You can make a strong argument that players going late in the draft are better off not drafted. So they can assess where the best fit is and start their careers where there is a need.
The issue there is likely the contract won’t be guaranteed and even if he has a great training camp, he might be relegated to the G-League. Which may not be better than staying in school and improving his draft stock. Of course, the G-League pays where college doesn’t.
Champagnie will have plenty of time to work on his game with the NBA Draft pushed back to July 29. Next month will be huge at the NBA Draft Combine, June 21-27. An opportunity to impress in front of every team playing against his peers.
He was a 3-star recruit out of high school with Pitt and Rutgers being his only Power 5 offers. Rose to be a strong contender for ACC Player of the Year. Overcome, or maybe better said avoided, a pair of potentially serious knee injuries to play in 53 games in a pair of seasons with the Panthers.
Overcoming adversity seems to be part of the Justin Champagnie story. Overcoming doubters is next up on the list.