The 2024 NBA Draft tips off on Wednesday, June 26 and the second round concludes Thursday, June 27.
One of the intriguing prospects to keep tabs on is Duke Blue Devils forward/center Kyle Filipowski, who is coming off a successful two-year stint with the powerhouse program. Draft experts project the seven-footer to be selected in the back half of the first round, but there is potential for him to creep up near the lottery.
Kyle Filipowski Draft Profile
Filipowski was a top-five prospect coming out of high school in 2022 and was part of Jon Scheyer’s first recruiting class after succeeding Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. The big man made an immediate impact as a freshman during the 2022-23, winning ACC Freshman of the Year by averaging 15.1 points and nine rebounds per game. He followed that up with an even stronger sophomore campaign where he averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game, earning consensus second-team All-American honors.
Strengths
Filipowski’s size and good mobility can come in handy in multiple areas. He’s excellent in the pick-and-roll and can also serve as a good shooting weapon on the perimeter.. His skills as both a dribbler and a passer could make him a valuable asset to whatever offensive system that he’s dropped into.
Weaknesses
Although Filipowski’s a seven-footer, he’s not necessarily an imposing threat on defense. He lacks the rim protection skills you’d expect from someone his height and in college; he ran into difficulty when banging up against more physical big men. And while he can knock down threes, he needs to be more consistent from downtown.
Player comparison: Isaiah Hartenstein, Kelly Olynyk
Filipowski has drawn comparisons to Isaiah Hartenstein and Kelly Olynyk by draft analysts like NBADraft.net’s Aran Smith and Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman. Both of those players are similarly built at around 7-feet and 240+ pounds and have carved out long careers as big men who can come off the bench and contribute a solid 20 minutes a night.