Duke Blue Devils star Kyle Filipowski seemed destined to go pro after his freshman season back in 2022-23. That’s why it was a surprise that the 7-foot center opted to return to Durham for his sophomore season.
With the 2024 NBA Draft quickly approaching, the former top-five recruit has now made the decision to go pro. Filipowski made the announcement on social media Friday afternoon.
Considered a lock to go in the top 10 heading into last season, a lackluster performance in the NCAA Tournament might impact Filipowski’s stock. That included a mere three-point outing against Vermont. The big man also scored 11 points on just 3-of-12 shooting in Duke’s Elite 8 loss to North Carolina State.
With that said, we’re talking about a big with a tremendous amount of range and great skill-set on the offensive end of the court. He’s a modern NBA big in this regard.
- Kyle Filipowski colege stats: 15.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 47% field goal
The New York native does have to fix some major things on the defensive end of the court. That was magnified with his struggles against tourney phenom D.J. Burns and the Wolfpack. Either way, expect Filipowski to be a lottery pick.
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Kyle Filipowski landing spots in 2024 NBA Draft
Here is a look at some ideal landing spots for the former Duke star in the coming NBA Draft.
New Orleans Pelicans
This upstart New Orleans team boasts the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. It could very well land in the lottery depending on what happens in the play-in tournament. There is certainly another need in the low-post for the Pelicans to go with Zion Williamson. That’s especially true with veteran center Jonas Valanciunas set to hit free agency.
Portland Trail Blazers
As with New Orleans, the Blazers own another first-round pick in the coming draft. That comes via the Golden State Warriors. It could also land in the lottery depending on what happens in the NBA Play-In Tournament. What we do know is that Portland is in need of another big with a wing-heavy roster that includes Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson and Kris Murray. This would just make too much sense.
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Chicago Bulls
Yet another team that’s wing heavy with the likes of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, Chicago continues to teeter on the brink of irrelevance in the Eastern Conference. Sure, it’s locked into a play-in spot. But no one would mistake this squad for a contender. Adding someone like Kyle Filipowski would work well. In turn, he’d learn from a similar big in that of veteran Nikola Vucevic.
Utah Jazz
Walker Kessler is an absolute force inside for the Jazz, especialy on the defensive end of the court. But he’s more your traditional low-post big. Meanwhile, veteran big man Lauri Markkanen could very well be traded this summer by the rebuilding Jazz. As front office head Danny Ainge continues to build out this roster, adding a modern big man to the mix makes sense. Utah has some core components in the backcourt and at the wing spot. But another big to go with Kessler would do this team well.