Kyle Filipowski returned to the Duke Blue Devils after a special freshman season. While his sophomore season was full of ups and downs, Flip now heads to the NBA Draft with a chance to be a lottery selection. Let’s analyze the fit of Kyle Filipowski in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Kyle Filipowski 2024 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Filipowski was the first recruit to commit to Jon Scheyer after taking over for Coach K. He came to Duke with the reputation for being a three-level scorer and having plenty of “stuff” to his game. Ultimately, he was projected to be a sure-fire first-round pick after his freshman season, but he returned to try and win a National Championship. While it was not a perfect year, he was still named a consensus All-American.
Filipowski averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this year with shooting splits of 50.5/34.8/67.1. Flip probably underachieved if you asked any Duke fan. However, he did still put up numbers. There were some concerns about attitude and body language early on in the season, but Jared McCain seemed to help those issues quite a bit. Once Flip got to the NCAA Tournament, he fought hard and really stepped up.
Strengths
Filipowski’s number one strength is his size in combination with his skills. He is listed at 7’0 230 pounds and has guard-like abilities. Every game, Flip would take the ball from the top of the key, break his defender down off the bounce, and attack the rim. That is a special ability for a big. He added to that with a solid ability to create for others this year, especially out of a double-team.
Similarly, Flip has excellent footwork for a big. When Flip posts up or drives, you are likely to see numerous pivots at some point before he puts up his shot. He can play with his back to the basket and utilize a drop step, up-and-under, or reverse pivot to get a good look. Also, he can take a defender off the bounce and spin to his off-hand for a bucket.
Finally, Filipowski is an underrated defender. It was extremely evident during March Madness. Flip found himself switching onto guards often and was able to move his feet and keep players in front of him to at least force contested jumpers. His ability to contain guards will go a long way in the NBA.
Weaknesses
Filipowski has a reputation as a floor spacer because he can knock down threes. Unfortunately, that skill never really translated to Duke. Flip shot 28% as a freshman and 35% as a sophomore from deep. With that, his free throw percentage dropped from 77% to 67%. Some of that illustrates a bit of a mechanical issue. If you watch breakdowns of Flip shooting, there is a bit of a disconnect between his lower half and his arms at points. That often leads to him leaving shots short. When he is ready on the catch and connected as a shooter, he is very solid.
The other concern for Filipowski is his physicality. Flip really struggled against bigger centers, especially ones that were older. Players like Armando Bacot and DJ Burns had career performances versus Flip. Part of it seems related to a lack of strength in his lower half. It is hard to watch a Duke game without noticing Filipowski on the ground often. A commitment to the weight room as he gets to the NBA will go a long way. Then, he just needs to let his footwork do the work for him and not rush against length.
NBA Comparison
Filipowski is a tough player to get a sense of. Truthfully, he has excellent numbers but he also underachieved. Filipowski was part of a Duke group that needed him to be a leader and that is not his strong suit. That made his year look worse than it probably was.
As for an NBA player comparison, Filipowski is similar to Andrea Bargnani or Moritz Wagner. He can give solid minutes and is offensively focused. He is not great at anything but he is very good at a lot of things. There is likely an NBA role for him for several years on rosters.
2022 NBA Draft Projection
Mid to late first.
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