Home San Antonio Spurs Kyle Filipowski Prospect Watch: Duke’s Best NBA Draft Bet

Kyle Filipowski Prospect Watch: Duke’s Best NBA Draft Bet

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Kyle Filipowski Prospect Watch: Duke’s Best NBA Draft Bet
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Duke Blue Devils had a top-tier recruiting class for 2022, but that hasn’t necessarily shown itself on the court. Dariq Whitehead has struggled with injury as has big man Dereck Lively II. However, the less heralded big man in that recruiting class has thrived and has even been one of the steadier players on the roster in Kyle Filipowski.

The 7-foot, 230-pound freshman has shown that he’s not the two or three-year project some thought he might be. He had a great back-to-the-basket game in high school and has brought some of that to college as well. However, it’s the other parts of his game that are attractive to teams and the fact he has led Duke for much of the season as one of its many new faces this season. Here are his stats through 25 games.

  • 15.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.9 BPG, 1.2 SPG
  • 43.4 FG%, 27.8 3P%, 77.8 FT%
  • 23.5 PER, 107.3 ORtg, 91.2 DRtg

Kyle Filipowski Breakdown

Filipowski’s three-point shooting could use some work. The big man has shown that he could eventually step out there and stretch the floor. He’s been a better driver than expected. He doesn’t just have straight-line drives, but he can make a move or two to get around the defender. He has a nice spin move he likes to use that is fairly effective, but he has to finish around the rim a bit more consistently to better utilize it in the NBA.

The young forward has shown flashes of being an excellent passer and facilitator. He doesn’t have great assist numbers, but some of that can be attributed to Duke not shooting particularly well as a team. Filipowski has a nice handle for a player his size but does tend to force passes or lose control of the ball from time to time. He sees the floor well from the post and knows how and when to pass out of it. The execution is what might concern some scouts.

Filipowski has ended up becoming the star of this Duke team despite Whitehead and Lively being the top two recruits in the class. His versatility as a ballhandler and shooter has made him valuable as both a collegiate player and a prospect at the next level. He is projected to go late teens or early 20s in this upcoming draft. And if the Spurs end up picking outside the top four, you can bet they will trade down or even use their bevy of future picks to get into the latter part of the first round.

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