Utah Jazz’ Former Draft Gamble Could Pay Off Next Season

Not only were other teams somewhat scared to take a chance on Filipowski, there was some merit to it, as his skillset needed plenty of refinement before seeing positive impact at the pro level. Now, Flip is seen as one of the team’s better up-and-coming pieces, and could be primed for a breakout 2025-26 campaign.

Filipowski saw a fine debut season, scoring 9.6 points, grabbing 6.1 rebounds and dishing 1.9 assists while shooting 50% overall and 35% from three. At Summer League in Las Vegas a few months ago, though, was where he garnered most of his newfound hype. 

Across three games, Filipowski led the entire event in points per contest, pouring on a whopping 29.3 points on 56% shooting, hitting on a blistering 39% of his nearly eight threes attempted per game. He looked head and shoulders above his competition, managing to add 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.7 blocks per game.

While there's no guarantee Filipowski can parlay his summer success to the NBA, him looking like the best player at an event littered with current and future NBA players is certainly a great sign.

If he truly can take a major leap next season, the former Blue Devil is likely to have a great chance at nabbing a starting spot. Outside of Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, the team has a few starting spots up for grabs, and Filipowski could fit into that with positional versatility.

The Jazz have numerous other prospects looking to improve in the next few season — including new top-pick Ace Bailey — but Filipowski's development will certainly be something to monitor.