Nobody expected former Duke basketball star [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] to slide into the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.
However, when the Utah Jazz finally called his name on Thursday afternoon, he did have a bonus for his patience. He’ll get to play alongside Lauri Markkanen.
The Finnish 7-footer has been in the league since 2017 and was named the Most Improved Player in 2022-23 after he averaged 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in his first season with Utah. He made the All-Star Game for the first time that season as well.
We aren’t singling him out because he’s a good mentor for Filipowski, however. We’re singling him out because Filipowski already did so himself. In an interview with The Athletic ahead of the draft, the former Duke star mentioned Markkanen and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic as players he watches a lot on film.
“There’s a lot of bigs now that are starting to become more versatile,” he said about the duo, two 7-footers with ball-handling skills he can emulate.
Filipowski showed a glimpse of similar talent as a sophomore when he averaged 2.8 assists per game and made nearly 35% of his 3-pointers en route to Second-Team All-American honors and a spot on the All-ACC First Team.