Jazz boost front court participation for an upcoming draft for Kyle Filipowski in second round

The Duke center has a resemblance to is reminiscent of Kelly Olynyk and gives the Jazz an opportunity to make players bigger that could extend the floor.

By Sarah Todd

Jun 28, 2024 12:38 AM

Kyle Filipowski has stated numerous times that he’s attempted to emulate his style of play after Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen . In a strange twist, the two players are now teammates.

The Jazz picked Filipowski as the second center at Duke with the 32nd selection in the 2024 NBA selection.

“Just how skillful he is and how mobile and how well he moves at that height is something I definitely try to model my game after, because I think that’s what makes him such a special player,” Filipowski said of Markkanen on in the evening on Thursday. “Just getting the chance to play with Markkanen, and learn about him regular day basis, I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to making every minute of. “

It’s not hard to find chance for Jazz enthusiasts to be ecstatic about the arrival to the team of Filipowski to the Jazz team. Remember the times that the Jazz had Kelly Olynyk on the team alongside Walker Kessler and Markkanen -the frontcourt trio that allowed players of the Jazz players the chance to work with a range of players, as well as an intimidating long length? It’s not impossible to imagine it’s possible that Filipowski will bring that same flexibility to Jazz’s frontcourt in the near future time.

Although Filipowski played at the center position in college, he’s not regarded to be a standard rim-running protecting the big rim. But in the same vein in the same way, Olynyk Filipowski is an experienced help defender who is extremely adept in staying ahead to his opponents. He’s a ball-playing professional and can perform all the things that make stretch bigs a significant advantage in the present NBA.

At 6’11”, Filipowski can shoot, dribble or pass on either side of a roll-and-pick creates excellent screens, is a great cutter, can detect the floor and make a pick-and-pop. Filipowski has an excellent NBA frame and, as he develops it to his capabilities, he can be a formidable player at the rim. However, Filipowski needs to develop his abilities to be able to play against larger forwards on the midsection.

“We came into today, hoping to draft Kyle Filipowski,” Jazz vice president of analytics Shane Fenske said on Thursday. “We were extremely pleased that we could accomplish it. Filipowski is a very flexible 7-footer that is able to pass, shoot and make a significant impact on winning for a great Duke school. “

It was speculated that Filipowski was get removed from the draft committee at the conclusion of the first round, which involved all of the Jazz front office. Certain reports have indicated that Filipowski was worried during the process of drafting. However, it seems to be that the Jazz front office did not appear to be stressed about anything, and did not notice any red flags about Filipowski.

“We do deep background on all the draft prospects to make sure that we’re ultimately comfortable selecting them,” Jazz vice president of basketball strategy Steven Schwartz said. “We’re thrilled to have Kyle to our Jazz and we’re completely content with the way things are going. We’re very happy with the progress Kyle has grown into as a person and we’re not concerned. “

Kyle Filipowski walks the red carpet before the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. — Kyle Filipowski walks the red carpet prior to the NBA basketball selection on the 26th of June 2024 in New York. On Thursday, the Utah Jazz selected him in the second round. | Julia Nikhinson, Associated Press

After his 2nd season as a player for the Blue Devils, Filipowski averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He also was making 34.8 percent on the 3 point line, which was an increase over his shooting percentages since the start the season, in which he only made 28.2 per cent of 3-point shots.

The Jazz have been studying Filipowski for some time and believe that his improvement in the shot is real and is able to transition to his new role in the NBA. Filipowski will need time to grow into an experienced and solid NBA player. At first glance it appears that the Jazz have a lot to gain in the second round, especially with an early selection.