Champagnie was poppin’ Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Justin Champagnie, that is.
The 6-foot-6 forward was the star of Boston’s second Summer League match, producing game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds along with six assists and one block in a 103-98 loss to the Washington Wizards.
A late regular-season Celtics addition, Champagnie didn’t get many opportunities to see the court this past spring. So this summer, he’s aiming to take advantage of every chance he gets in his No. 99 Boston uniform, and Sunday night was a good indicator.
Champagnie scored 10 of his points during the final frame, nearly helping the C’s overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. They trailed by 10 with less than a minute remaining and his cutting dunk at the 53-second mark helped to kick-start a rapid 7-0 run, which was eventually snuffed out by a late Washington step-back jumper.
Champagnie did most of his scoring damage inside, though he also knocked down a pair of left-wing 3-pointers in the fourth.
However, his most impressive contributions came on the glass. Seven of his 12 rebounds came on the offensive end, and that’s after pulling down six offensive boards in Game 1 Saturday. Thirteen offensive rebounds in two days is pretty darn impressive for a guy who stands one inch below the average NBA height.
Champagnie was one of six Celtics players to finish in double-digits in the scoring department. Jay Scrubb had his second straight game in the teens with 15 points off the bench. Former first-round pick Udoka Azubuike had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting in less than 18 minutes of action. C’s second-round draft pick Jordan Walsh followed up his team-leading 18-point effort from Saturday afternoon with a 12-point, Game 2 performance. Seven-foot-one center Olek Balcerowski logged 11 points, and forward Justin Bean chipped in with 10.
Walsh the Playmaker
Jordan Walsh has raised some eyebrows – in a good way – during his first two games in a Celtics uniform. On Saturday, he had a pleasantly surprising shooting performance, knocking down his first four 3-point attempts in the Summer League opener against Miami. On Sunday, he dazzled with his playmaking.
Walsh’s 12 points and three assists that showed up in the box score didn’t tell the full story of his strong decision-making throughout the game but believe us, the 19-year-old showed some real promise in that area.
Two of Walsh’s passes, in particular, stood out: one was a pump-fake, driving behind-the-back toss to Justin Bean that resulted in a wide-open 3-pointer. The other was a shot-fake, over-the-top pass to Udoka Azubuike for an easy dunk.
The Truth Pays a Visit
Paul Pierce’s loyalty toward the Celtics is unmatched. The Hall-of-Famer is still a regular attendee at TD Garden during the season, and he even shows up for occasional Summer League games such as Sunday night.
Although the 2023 Draft class phenom Victor Wembanyma was playing simultaneously in the arena next door, Pierce insisted to NBA TV's Chris Haynes during a second-quarter interview that he’s only interested in seeing his boys in green.
“I’m only here to watch the Celtics. this is the only team and come to games for. I don’t watch nobody else.”
The Truth also reminisced about his first and only Summer League experience in 1999, which didn’t last very long.
“I played two games,” Pierce recalled. “Had a 46-point game and coach said, ‘Go home for the summer.”
Haynes closed out the interview by asking Pierce for his “unbiased” opinion on the Eastern Conference favorite for this coming season. Taking into account the recent addition of Kristaps Porzingis, Pierce answered without hesitation.
“No bias,” he said. “It has to be the Celtics.”