Utah Jazz rookie center Kyle Filipowski stole the show during their 86-76 Summer League victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday with the best performance of his young professional career.
Filipowski, who was drafted 32nd overall in the second round of this year's draft, dropped an incredible stat-line during Wednesday's win.
The 7-0 Jazz rookie ended his day with 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from three.
Filipowski is looking like an early candidate to be one of the top steals of this year's draft. The former Duke star was initially projected to be drafted in the middle of the first round, but he fell due to some concerning reports regarding his personal life. Regardless of why he fell, his on-court production is making the the rest of the NBA look silly for passing on him and letting him fall to the Jazz in the second round.
One of the top players in college basketball last season, Filipowski averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 34.8% from three on 3.1 attempts and 50.5% from the field. Filipowski, who was Duke's leading scorer and clear best player, led the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight before losing to Cinderella NC State, 76-64.
Despite starting the Summer League slow with a scoreless performance off the bench in the Jazz's opener vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, Filipwoski is heating up with three straight double-digit scoring performances, highlighted by Wednesday's 20-point, seven-rebound explosion.
Fans loved Kyle Filipowski's performance
Filipwoski had both NBA fans and Duke fans thrilled with what they saw on the court.
If Kyle Filipowski is able to continue playing this well, he could be in line for major minutes with the Jazz, even as a rookie second round pick. If forward Lauri Markkanen ends up getting traded, Filipwoski would immediately slot into Utah's big man rotation.
Filipowski's versatility on both ends of the floor and ability to play both power forward and center make it easy for him to find potential playing time. The Jazz may be encouraged to trade Markkanen even more if they feel confident that Filipowski can fill at least some of what their All-Star Finland native can do.
The Jazz are looking like they're about to enter a rebuild. With a young core highlighted by their two young second-year budding-stars, forward Taylor Hendricks and point guard Keyonte George, along with defensive anchor Walker Kessler and rookie guard Isaiah Collier and Filipowski, the Jazz have one of the best young cores in the NBA.
Second round picks aren't usually expected to contribute much right away. The fact that Filipowski is looking this good this early is a great sign for the Jazz. If he keeps playing like he did on Wednesday, there is no doubt that Filipowski will be the steal of the 2024 NBA Draft will be a major contributor for the Jazz right away.
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