How is Champagnie Making His Mark?

After a successful stint at St. John's University, Champagnie was signed by the Philadelphia 76ers as an undrafted free agent, although he was waived midway through his rookie campaign. The Spurs picked him up and he showed enough flash to sign him to a four-year deal.

This season, he has started all 24 games and averages 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 steals, which are all career-highs. He is shooting 35.5 percent from deep, which could be improved, but he is very reliable. 

According to SpursMuse on Twitter, Champagnie, Fred VanVleet, and Austin Reaves are the only undrafted players to score at least 300 points this year. Champagnie has racked up 302 points, Reaves has 318, and VanVleet leads the way with 359. VanVleet won a ring with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and is now leading the Houston Rockets' young core.

VanVleet is the only one of the trio to ever be an All-Star, and the advanced stats point to him easily being the best undrafted player in the NBA right now, although Champagnie is certainly in second place. Reaves gets the benefit of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, but his 0.0 VORP and 0.7 win shares pale in comparison to Champagnie, who is emerging as the latest success story for the Silver and Black.