How Duke's Kyle Filipowski modeled his game after Chris Paul, Anthony Davis

Kyle Filipowski is one of the better NBA Draft prospects. The product coming out of Jon Scheyer's Duke Blue Devils system has been thriving in college basketball. A lot of it has to do with how he developed his game from his post moves, playmaking, and even developing an outside shot. These developments in his style of play are definitely inspired by other great athletes who came before him. Who are these legends he modeled his game after, you ask? Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Luka Doncic are just some names.

Kyle Filipowski's idols

This NBA Draft class is not at all short of talented big men. It has Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Zach Edey, and Donovan Clingan just to name a few. Thus, the first person to come out of the draft boards will be the one who showcases more skills that are suitable for the league. Kyle Filpowski is differentiating himself by highlighting the different learnings he got from other players, via Hoops Hype.

“There are players like Chris Paul, Luka, and LaMarcus Aldridge whom I admire for different aspects of their game. Chris Paul for his IQ, Luka Doncic for playing within himself and using his strengths, and LaMarcus Aldridge for his dominance and shooting ability. I see bits and pieces of my game in players like Chris Paul and Anthony Davis. I learn from how they play and think ahead on the court, which helps me improve my own game,” the NBA Draft prospect out of Duke said.

Drawing inspiration from these great legends of the game has helped Kyle Filipowski notch quite a lot of accolades. He finished his Blue Devils stint while being a consensus All-American, an ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and a two-time All-ACC selection. Any team that does decide to pick him up in the NBA Draft will surely not regret their decision.

From Duke to NBA Draft boards

There is a big chance that Kyle Filipowski will end up in the NBA Draft lottery. He is still young and has a high ceiling which makes a lot of teams more confident in acquiring him. As of the moment, projections and mocks have him getting picked somewhere between the 12th and the 15th.

How did he get here? Well, it started off with an insane outing in his first year with Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils. His defense a la Anthony Davis and insane IQ like Chris Paul started to show immediately. He knocked down 44.1% of his shots from the field to score 15.1 points while also grabbing nine rebounds per contest.

The defense derived from Anthony Davis started showing in his next season with Duke. He notched a steal and 1.5 blocks per game which was huge in helping the Blue Devils make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, they faced a hot-handed NC State team which spelled their eventual demise in March Madness.

All of this makes Flip an attractive prospect. Which team will benefit from his expertise the most?