Development check-in: Kyle Filipowski soaring to front of the pack

We’ve been told in very clear terms that this Utah Jazz season is one that is firmly focused on development, and specifically the development of the young players on the roster.
Since that’s the case, it makes sense to check in a few times throughout the season to see how all the youngsters are faring. We’re 11 games into the 2024-25 season, and I can tell you with certainty that Kyle Filipowski has been flourishing and looks more NBA-ready than most rookies.
Before Jazz training camp even started this season, after having only seen Filipowski in optional runs in the gym, Jordan Clarkson was already really high on the rookie and went to bat for him on media day when asked what he’d seen out of the Jazz’s three 2024 picks.
“I’m willing to go on the line for that one,” Clarkson said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Flip is really talented. He’s actually really good. Him making a play for somebody else is the thing that stood out more than anything, and I was like, ‘Yo.’
“His shooting form and everything is amazing. Him putting the ball on the floor and breaking the defense down and then making the pass is something I haven’t seen before at an early stage … (the rookies) are all talented in their own way, but Flip, right now, if you were like, ‘Throw him in a jersey and put him in the game,’ yeah, we’re going to war with him, for sure. He’s ready.”
That’s super high praise from someone who had only seen Filipowski in some unofficial scrimmages, and by Filipowski’s own admission, he struggled during summer league with pace and overthinking the game.
But Clarkson was the one who had the inside track on this. He saw flashes of what everyone else has been seeing the last few games with the Jazz.
Filipowski has been a regular in the Jazz’s rotation for seven games this season (this excludes game when he only played garbage minutes), and in those seven games he is averaging 10.4 points, six rebounds and 2.1 assists.
He has done exactly what Clarkson said he could do. At nearly 7-feet tall, he’s a playmaking big who can stretch the floor, he has great shot form and is also reliable with the ball in his hands. He has held his own against the likes of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic on the defensive end and never looks like he’s rattled offensively.
That’s all come as the Jazz have had to wade through some pretty heavy injuries this season that have forced players such as Filipowski and John Collins to switch between playing center and power forward. Because the defensive responsibilities of those two roles are so different, Filipowski’s efforts have been noticed by teammates and coaching staff alike.
Though Filipowski was essentially not in the Jazz’s rotation to start the season, the season-ending injury to Taylor Hendricks changed the rotations quite a bit and it pushed Filipowski into more of a regular role. Since then, he’s basically played himself into the starting lineup, taking over Cody Williams’ spot in the starting unit on Thursday as the Jazz faced Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
“I think Kyle’s defense was way more impressive tonight than his offense,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said following the Jazz’s win over the Mavericks.
“I think Doncic picked him a lot to isolate, and I thought that Kyle was fantastic. Luka is one of the hardest players in the league to guard in isolation, and I thought that Kyle did a really good job of moving his feet, using his body, bracing up for contact and really not being sloppy with his hands and fouling.”
One of the reasons Filipowski has stood out has been that he does all the little NBA things well. He is a quick decision maker, he sets good screens and you can trust him as a scorer whether it’s in pick-and-pop situations, rolling or spotting up for 3, and when he isn’t scoring, he’s a great playmaker.
The Jazz were never expected to hit on all of their draft picks. That’s just not how the NBA world works. Instead, they are trying to find a couple of young players they can really invest in who can be a part of the team’s future and the early returns on Filipowski have been very promising.
Well, as mentioned above, Filipowski has seemed to surpass Williams due to his offensive production and defensive versatility. Williams has been showing some flashes of being a good defender but has also had moments when he just isn’t strong enough to handle some of the more physical players he’s come up against.
Walker Kessler has been having a really fantastic season, though he’s been sidelined a couple of games with a hip injury. Hendricks is obviously going to miss the rest of the season, though his first couple of games before that injury were incredibly promising.
Keyonte George has had a really up-and-down start to the season on both sides of the ball. It’s going to take a little bit more time to see if some of his shooting numbers and his passing numbers can even out after a rough slump to start the year.
Brice Sensabaugh has had two DNPs over the last three games and there are still a lot of question marks surrounding Isaiah Collier. Regarding Collier, the USC product clearly has some superpowers when it comes to pace and setting the table as a point guard, but he is 0-of-7 from 3-point land on the season and is shooting 25% from the free throw line.
We’ve seen too many examples of this type of player in the NBA to ignore the shooting. To be frank, you just can’t be an NBA point guard if the defense is not going to respect you on the perimeter, so that part of his game really needs to change.