Story by
What Justin Champagnie's Injury Means for Washington Wizards
- Story by
- What Justin Champagnie's Injury Means for Washington Wizards
(Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Justin Champagnie is the exact kind of player good teams want. He's a good defender, a decent floor spacer and a high-effort culture setter off the bench.
Now, after a fractured foot and subsequent surgery, the Washington Wizards will have to find a way to replace what he brings to the team.
Advertisement
According to The Athletic, the forward is expected to miss an amount of time measured in months rather than weeks, a devastating blow for a team that's hoping to return to a state of competitiveness sooner rather than later.
In his absence, let's take a look at three key players who will need to step up for Washington.
1) Will Riley
Coming off a surprisingly productive rookie season, the Wizards are going to be looking to Will Riley to provide even more in the coming months.
In some ways, the uptick in Will Riley minutes could be seen as something of a silver lining in the wake of Champagnie's injury. Riley is a natural scorer with some serious dynamism with the ball in his hands, and it will be a positive to see him shoulder more responsibility going forward.
Advertisement
The question will be what Riley can do on the other end. Again, the Wizards are looking to be competitive this season, and Champagnie's defense figured to be a big part of that.
2) Bilal Coulibaly
If any Wizard has the potential to provide the two-way impact Champagnie did, Coulibaly may be the guy.
Coulibaly is already an excellent defender, and has been from the moment he stepped on an NBA court. The offense is what has ebbed and flowed for Coulibaly -- an unreliable shooter, he will need to find his catch-and-shoot stroke from downtown to help keep the Wizards' offense in order.
He already gets a good deal of run, but Coulibaly will see the floor even more now -- it remains to be seen what he will do with the opportunity.
Advertisement
3) Khris Middleton
The first two candidates to fill Champagnie's shoes were young, up-and-coming players. How about a wily veteran as the third?
Middleton is far from his peak, when he operated as a high-volume scorer and consistent defender for perennially contending Milwaukee Bucks teams. But he still has some scoring pop, and his high IQ can help lift a unit that has plenty of young players.
Middleton has averaged fewer than 15 minutes per game this season. It's safe to expect that number to go up if the coaching staff tabs him as someone who can help fill the void Champagnie's absence created.
