Kyle Filipowski Heating Up for Utah Jazz

The past five games have all resulted in losses for the Utah Jazz, but the play of rookie Kyle Filipowski has been a bright spot during this stretch.

Filipowski has averaged 20.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in only 27.8 minutes a night in his last five appearances. Even more impressive, the 6-foot-11 forward is shooting 54.4% from the field and 46.4% from three on 5.6 attempts per game after shooting 52.9% from three in February.

After showcasing some perimeter shooting ability at Duke, Filipowski struggled with his shot early on and went through a slump where he only made 25.7% of his attempts in January. Head Coach Will Hardy came to him asking if he would be interested in fixing his shot midseason, and after a few adjustments the rookie has been shooting with great confidence, and the results back that up. His ability to space the floor will be pivotal going forward and if he can continue to prove he can knock down shots at a high clip his long-term upside will grow even more.

Filipowski was very impressive Sunday night against the Sixers as he recorded 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals tying his career high in points that he set last week. He was great around the basket following misses with putback finishes and flashed his ability to make plays off the bounce as well. The big man has a good handle for a player his size and can blow past defenders for crafty finishes at the rim. Despite having the size of a center, Filipowski has ball skills that make him a tough matchup for opposing big men. Still only 21 years old, he has a ton of room for growth with his already advanced offensive skillset.

His offensive talent has never been a question, but Filipowski will have to alleviate concerns over his ability on the defensive side of the ball. Although he averaged 1.5 blocks last year as a sophomore at Duke, rim protection has never been his strong suit and he has only recorded eight blocks this season. A near seven-footer, Filipowski will have to make up for his lack of interior presence by being able to guard smaller forwards and switching onto guards occasionally. If he can at least prevent himself from being a defensive liability, he has all the offensive talent to have a long NBA career. Filipowski's development will be a priority for the Jazz over the course of the next month as the team looks to land a top draft pick.