This guy seems like the kind of player who'd do well in a Quin Snyder offense. He'd also pair well next to Onyeka (who's all heart, but needs a 7-footer next to him).
Also, another Duke Freshman...
Kyle Filipowski | Duke | Freshman
Skilled, tough big man with offensive talents tailor-made for the NBA
Age------------19 years old Height--------7 footer Weight--------230 lbs Wingspan-----TBD
PLUSES
Fluid ball handler capable of running actions like a guard or a wing, whether it’s pick-and-rolls or handoffs as the receiving player. He can attack out of actions in a straight line, or fluidly use crossovers and spin moves.
He has glue-guy skills on offense, always keeping the ball moving, relocating around the court, and setting screens.
NBA coaches will love to use him in different actions because of his playmaking and quick decision-making ability. He can run a pick-and-roll, or set hard screens then pop or short roll. He is already adept at running handoffs, so he could thrive if surrounded by shooters. And as a hard-nosed defensive rebounder, he can start offensive possessions by cleaning the glass and bringing the ball up on his own.
Reliable post threat. He won’t get fed the ball but he can seal off a defender inside and score using drop steps and hook shots. Against switching defenses, his handle allows him to dribble from the perimeter into the post.
Potentially solid 3-point shooter who displays soft touch from the post and the free throw line, which projects favorably for his long-term potential to become a knockdown guy. The more his shot improves, the more it’ll unlock his playmaking.
Plays hard on defense. He’ll take a charge, box out, and put his body on the line. Plus, he has great coordination so he uses his hands to poke at the ball or disrupt actions on the perimeter. If he’s able to improve athletically he’ll be a good defender.
MINUSES
Lacks the length of an elite rim protector and the mobility of a perimeter stopper. He’s more of a positional defender who gets by with effort.
Subpar scorer at the rim when faced with contact or length, largely due to his own lack of strength. But he has the frame to handle more muscle so this skill should develop in time.
He needs to cut down on careless turnovers. Sometimes he gets too loose with his handle in the open floor, or he’ll force passes through windows that are shut.
The key to Filipowski’s draft stock this year is his athletic development. I actually thought the big man who largely played the four for Duke last season was a bit underrated athletically. He’s better defending in space than he gets credit for being, and he has terrific body control as a ballhandler.
He averaged 15 points and nine rebounds last year for the Blue Devils, making him among the most productive freshmen in the country. But he apparently did so with injured hips that limited his overall flexibility. He had surgery on both hips this summer with the hope of opening his range of motion up a bit, and reports have been quite positive. He’s moving better and has noted in news conferences that he feels better this season. The results early on have been strong, as he had 25 points and seven rebounds in Duke’s opener against Dartmouth.
Ultimately, Filipowski needs to show he can guard perimeter players in the NBA at a reasonable level and consistently make shots from distance. I think he can do both of those things, so I have him a bit higher on my board than many do at this stage. I am a fan of playmaking bigs with real offensive skill, so long as they can avoid being a defensive liability. I don’t know that Filipowski will ever be a plus on that end, but he works hard and can slide his feet better than most think.
I think he ends up in the lottery this season if the surgery on his hips ends up enabling the flexibility he hopes to achieve.
Filipowski would have been a first-round pick in 2023, but the Duke star elected to return for a potential ACC Player of the Year-caliber season. The decision should result in Filipowski becoming a sure-fire lottery pick.
The skilled 7-footer can wear multiple hats on offense. He has smooth footwork and shooting touch with his back to the basket, he can space the floor as a 3-point shooter, he's physical on the glass and he even showed some playmaking chops as a freshman. His defense will be tested as Duke's anchor this season, but his offensive versatility gives his potential a high floor.
As a skilled 7 foot Power Forward, he'd pair well with both Jalen or Okongwu. He'd immediately become our backup PF and our backup Center. (Assuming Capela is eventually dealt.)
Filipowski could’ve been a first-round pick this year, but his return for his sophomore season gives him an opportunity to grow into a lottery lock. The most appealing aspect of his game is his fluid ballhandling; he’s capable of running actions like a guard or a wing, whether it’s pick-and-rolls or handoffs as the receiving player. He can attack out of actions in a straight line or fluidly use crossovers and spin moves. He has glue-guy skills on offense with his tendency to keep the ball moving, relocate, screen, and cut. But finding his shot and improving his scoring at the rim will be necessary this coming year if he wants to improve his draft outlook.
A really great article written before Kyle's sophomore season.
Analytics Insight: Kyle Filipowski
Kyle Filipowski, the former five-star prospect out of Wilbraham, Massachusetts committed to play at Duke for the 2022-23 college basketball season. In his freshman year, he led Duke in points and rebounds, as well as an appearance in March Madness, where they lost to Tennessee in the second round.
The 7-footer averaged 15.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in 2022-23 for Duke and was projected as a mid-late first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but surprised NBA decisionmakers by electing to return to Duke for his sophomore campaign.
Filipowski’s Offense Breakdown
Strengths
Spoiler:
Filipowski’s ability as an off ball cutter will translate to the NBA immediately. Ranking in the 80th percentile tile of all NCAA players in the 2022-23 Season. 47% of all his cut plays were a baseline cut to rim resulting in over 1.3 point per possession.
He has shown the ability to use his size and versatility to take defenders off the dribble. The right handed center prefers using his left to finish at the rim. Furthermore, 58% of his rim attacks result in a left hand finish. Transition is another area where Filipowski strives, able to go coast to coast with ease, despite not having the quickest first step, he is still faster than the majority of the bigs in college basketball.
Areas of Improvement
Spoiler:
Most of Filipowski's offensive game comes from him spotting up from the wing. He has all the tools to become a threat using his jabs and rip through moves, but ranks in the bottom 19th percentile of all players attacking from spot up. That being said, a multitude of reasons can cause this. One being that 92% of all his spot up attack comes from Duke running him at power forward pairing him with a center. This can cause the paint area to be clogged up when he is attacking the rim. Granted it is a small sample size (8%) when he is the center attacking from the wing his is incredibly efficient scoring about 1.3 Point per possession.
When Filipowski posts up against bigger and stronger players, he struggles to get to the rim, instead relying on heavily contested fade aways. This likely explains him only scoring only 0.87 points per possession. However, he has shown the ability to punish smaller players on switches scoring an efficient 1.2 point per possession in these situations. If he is able to use his quickness and footwork to get past bigger defenders in the post and his size and strength against smaller defenders. Watch this area of this game to take a huge leap in his sophomore season at Duke.
Just purely looking at the numbers you would think that Filipowski is a below average shooter. He shoots 28% from three on 3.4 attempts per game which leaves a lot of room for improvement, but he has solid mechanics for a big guy. There’s also some evidence that he can improve to be a solid shooter; Filipowski shot 76.5% from the line last year.
Filipowski’s Defense
Spoiler:
Filipowski is an incredibly efficient weak side defender. Always in the right spot off the ball despite only averaging 0.7 blocks per game. He uses his size well in disrupting shots, being in the right place at the right time.
He is a versatile defensive talent, preferring to play the drop coverage in pick and roll situations, worked well against guards, especially in the ACC, he only allowed 0.9 points per possession in conference play in drop coverages. However when he is asked to be switched on to a quicker guard he does struggle to slide his feet and keep up with them, allowing 1.2 points per possession.
Like his offensive Post-up game, Filipowski struggles against bigger and stronger bigs. Allowing opponents to score over 58.3% of the time in post up situations.
Conclusion
Filipowski is a versatile player on both sides of the ball, great footwork and skill set for a big man as well as a solid shooting mechanic. If he can put it all together, he is a very intriguing prospect for the upcoming 2024 NBA draft.
King Ken wrote:Right now, no tiers, just raw rankings so far:
8. Kyle Filipowski - He was my top guy on the Hawks big board at 15 last year and he's probably #2 this year at their current spot. He's gotten 10-15 pounds bigger. He's a 5. He's can score with ease although struggles to get an easy basket. Man, this kid can pass his ass off. Sengun like as a passer but better. Superior defender to Sabonis and Sengun. Great basketball mind.
Needs a rim protector next to him at the next level but not a liability at all. He's an excellent fit next to OO. Still doesn't give us an easy scoring big but he fits what Quin's offense is to a T. Best passing center since Jokic.
He's a decent late 1st pick up. Digging deeper, the nba prospects he's been paired with this season have either outplayed him or dominated. Two true fr and soph. Ndongo, Brazil, and Missi.
KF as an offensive hub has some serious possibilities at the next level. He feels like he could be a (Domantas) Sabonis or Sengun type of player in the league.
Filipowski was projected as a potential first round pick in last year’s draft but made the decision to return to Duke for his sophomore year. A lottery run isn’t out of the question if he can sustain his All-American level play to start this season. A 7-foot, 250-pound big man, Filipowski is highly skilled as a short roll playmaker, post scorer, and occasional pick-and-pop threat. He’s an excellent decision-maker with the ball in his hands, reading the floor well and finding open shooters and cutters as the hub of Duke’s offense. His shot has been somehow hit-or-miss since he entered college, but going 4-for-4 from three against Pitt and 4-of-5 against Georgia Tech helped bump him up to 41.2 percent on the year. He also only shoots 68.4 percent from the foul line.
Filipowski is never going to be an explosive athlete, but he does look a little quicker this year. If a team drafts him this high, the hope will be that he can be a plus passer and shooter for a center while being an adequate system defender if not someone who will clean up mistakes. Given how many teams try to play five-out these days, Filipowski will probably have a lot of fans around the league come draft time.
Kyle Filipowski was a projected first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and was considered one of the most skilled bigs in the class. He elected to return to Duke for his sophomore campaign and it has paid off handsomely. Filipowski has improved in nearly every statistical category and has proven he can be a major cog and offensive hub for a competitive team.
At 7-feet tall Filipowski plays with physicality, finesse and supreme talent. He has the ability to score in the low post with his back to the basket. He is consistently able to taking advantage of mismatches when smaller defenders are matched onto him. The second year collegiate is nearly averaging 20 points per game on solid efficiency.
The big swing skill outside of some defensive miscues is the outside shooting. Last season Filipowski shot below 30% from three and with his archetype he needs to shoot better than that in the NBA to see a ton of success and consistent minutes at the next level. So far this season he’s hovering around the 32% mark from behind the arc and if he’s able to get that to 35% by the end of the season then there’s no reason he isn’t a lottery pick in June. The 3-point jumper is the biggest concern for Filipwoski on the offensive end; if he’s able to turn that into a strength, then he has All star potential at the next level.
A skill that doesn’t get talked about enough for Filipowski is his passing ability. There’s an argument to be made that he is the best passing big man in this year’s draft class. He operates extremely well out of the short roll, as he’s a great decision-maker due to his ability to make the right reads in a timely manner. He’s currently averaging three assists per game -- an impressive feat considering how many talented guards are on this Duke roster. The passing ability will certainly translate at the next level.
The Duke product brings rebounding, toughness, skill and offensive versatility on an already talented OKC roster. Holmgren Onyeka Okongwu brings elite defense, rim protection and offensive versatility which would really fit well next to Filipowski as they fill each other's weaknesses and could play off of each other quite well. The translation to the NBA is a tad bit concerning for the sophomore but what are some comparisons for Filipowski to help give an idea of what he can become in the NBA?
Kelly Olynyk is a pretty solid comparison as far as archetype and projected role goes. Olynyk is a skilled offensive big man with size that can stretch the floor, finish around the rim and keep the offense flowing at all times despite playing either big man position. If Filipowski can reach what Olynyk is or even surpass him then that’s a big win for whatever team drafts him in the first round.