Denver Nuggets guard Axel Toupane. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Denver Nuggets have reportedly signed shooting guard Axel Toupane to a second 10-day contract on Monday after having an effective first stint with the NBA Western Conference ballclub.
Denver inked the undrafted sophomore to a 10-day deal last March 3rd after team officials scouted him from NBA Developmental League squad Raptors 905, Toronto's affiliate club, where he had averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 boards, and 3.6 dimes per game in a total 32 games this season, as reported by the league's official website.
Toupane took advantage of his latest chance to play in top flight league by averaging 4.6 points and 1.0 assists in only 13.4 minutes of playing time a night during the five games of his first 10-day stint.
The Nuggets went 4-1 in the span of the five games as the 23-year-old Frenchman contributed well from both ends of the floor. He played his best game so far for Mike Malone's crew during his fourth game in Denver, a 116-98 home win over the Phoenix Suns, where he scored 10 points, grabbed two boards, and dished out two assists in only 15 minutes of playing time, shooting 2-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-2 foul shots.
However, his first game during his second stint was a 119-124 road loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night where he was fielded in 13 minutes and contributed four points, a rebound and an assist.
Today's Fastbreak noted that even though Toupane attempted more than half of his shots from beyond the arc during his so far six-game stay with the Nuggets, "Denver has significantly outscored opponents during the small sample when he's been on the floor", which is the most likely reason why team coaches and officials would like to keep him for the time being.
The 6-foot-6 Mulhouse, France native is said to be a potential candidate to be included in Denver's collection of international talents, namely Danilo Gallinari of Italy, Emmanuel Mudiay of Congo, Nikola Jokic of Serbia, Jusuf Nurkic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Joffrey Lauvergne also of France.
Toupane participated in the 2014 NBA Draft but was left undrafted after the event. He then tried out with the Dallas Mavericks and played in the team's 2014 Summer League squad where he averaged 3.5 points and 2.0 boards in four outings.
He didn't make it in the regular season lineup, though, and went back to his old French squad, Strasbourg IG, to spend the rest of the 2014-2015 season before returning to the NBA with the Raptors' D-League team last summer.
