With the NBA draft coming around later this month, one of the top prospects people are interested to see land with a team has to be Duke basketball big-man Kyle Filipowski. In an interview with the show “Prospect Park” from USA Today Sports and For The Win, he spoke about what his initial goals are when he steps in to the association and the intangibles he can provide for any team, one that resembles the pathway Victor Wembanyama went through this season.
There is one thing vastly different though between Filipowski and Wembanyama besides the measurements, it is also that the latter was the first overall pick whereas the former is projected to be selected in the middle or late in the opening round. Even still, the Blue Devils big-man says the goal is to be Rookie of the Year, but acknowledged that “winning is the most important thing for me.”
“Definitely going right into this year is Rookie of the Year. I don’t think that’s out of my reach at all,” Filipowski said. “If I should play the way I’m capable of, there is no question I should be in that conversation. But ultimately, wherever I go, I just want to help that team win. Winning is the most important thing for me and I know that with what comes with that is those individual accolades and just being able to do that and work for those types of goals is very important to me.”
Filipowski on NBA expectations after two seasons with Duke basketball
Filipowski has played two seasons with the Duke basketball team where this past year, he averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field. He showed that he can excel in a ton of areas that to him, makes the young star a “coachable” player.
“It gives teams a lot to do with me. I’m very adaptable. I’m very coachable,” Filipowski said. ‘Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m going to be able to do it just because of that uniqueness in my skills.”
“I’m very disciplined with what I need to be doing in order to take my body to the next level in order to play at the NBA stage,” Filipowski continued. “I’m excited for the spacing just to expand my range on 3-pointers because I know that’s going to help a lot with my passing and my facilitating as well if I get that more dangerous for teams.”
Filipowski talks having a healthy offseason to prepare for the NBA
If there is one aspect about Filipowski that could be a reason why he is not a high first round pick is the injury history for the star who measured just short of 6-foot-11 reportedly “in socks” at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine. He would even talk about the issue he had after his freshman season with the Blue Devils comparing it to this offseason where he is fully healthy.
“That’s going to be huge,” Filipowski on having a healthy offseason. “Like you said, right after we lost in the tournament my freshman year at Duke, I got double bilateral hip surgery two weeks later, if that. That was a really hard decision for me to make because I knew I wasn’t going to have an offseason to develop and take off but ultimately, it was the best decision for me because now I’m feeling fantastic with where my body is at and I’m super excited to now have that offseason to get stronger and just work on my body even more now. Even now, every day, my body is getting better than it was. It’s not even at its full peak yet. So having this full offseason is going to be huge for me and I’m looking forward to it.”
Blue Devils big-man is not at his “fullest potential”
Filipowski has a lot of exciting traits that make the 20-year old an exciting prospect, even if he is expected to go towards the end of the first round. However, there is no doubt that he is a raw talent and even he admits that he is “not even at my fullest potential” as his message to possible suitors.
“I’m not even at my fullest potential. I’m not even at my best yet. That comes with physicality and my skill set, of course,” Filipowski said. “I think a lot of players can say that but for me, my upside is a whole lot more because of that hip surgery. I’m still getting better from that every day. So the strides and leaps I can take with that, they’ll get a guy that is going to be a dangerous player that loves competing and loves playing the game. Those are the biggest things for me.”
Filipowski touts that he is a student of the NBA
While most people would want to focus on how he can compete physically in the NBA, an underrated aspect teams might want to lock down about a player is how they can handle the mental gymnastics of it all. When hearing Filipowski, he should pass that part of the evaluation with flying colors as he talks about being a “big learner” of the game of basketball though saying he knows what he is “capable of” expressing that his “style of play suits the NBA.”
“I’m a big learner of the game. I love watching basketball. I love watching the playoffs right now and seeing and reading all of these things that players are doing,” Filipowski said. “It’s just so exciting for me. I know what I’m capable of and obviously college is a whole different style of play than the NBA and I feel like my style of play suits the NBA so much better. With that IQ coming into play, being able to facilitate and with the spacing and just reading and reacting, the defense will be so much easier in my opinion with my IQ.”
Filipowski previews his role in the NBA as a rookie
Whoever drafts the Blue Devils big-man is getting a player that can fill in a spot that is much needed around the league which is a power forward that can stretch the floor. Filipowski goes into detail into the role he sees himself as a rookie.
“I think what I love to do is just space the floor. I think that opens up a lot for myself and for my teammates,” Filipowski said. “Starting on the perimeter, that gives me the ability to drive the ball and kick it out to the shooters or even pass it off to the five man like a Dereck Likely. Doing that at my size and also being able to space the floor and let the five man go to work inside or let the guards attack and facilitate, and they don’t have to worry about an extra defender because my defender will stay on me because of my 3-point ability as well. That’s the kind of stuff I’m looking forward to.”
Filipowski will know his new home when the NBA Draft starts Wednesday, June 26, and if he does not go in the first round, the event continues the next day on Thursday, June 27.
Follow Us
Subscribe
