3 NBA Draft prospects Thunder should be monitoring after landing No. 12 pick
By Kyle Lander
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Kyle Filipowski
Next up on the list we have Duke stud big man Kyle Filipowski.
The 20-year-old served as the starting center for the Blue Devils throughout his two seasons under headman Jon Scheyer and displayed many qualities the Thunder should be looking for.
He can handle the rock well, boasts solid court vision for his position, can score inside as well as when spaced out, plays sound defense, and, most importantly, rebounds.
Standing at 7 feet tall and weighing in at a whopping 248 pounds, Filipowski wrapped up his final season at the collegiate level posting impressive averages of 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor 34.8 percent from distance, as highly improved mark compared to his 28.2 percent clip from his freshman campaign.
Frankly, this level of improvement is something that certainly warrants attention, for he only has two seasons under his belt but it's a good sign that he upped his floor spacing by that big of margin (roughly 7%) from year one to two.
FLIP REJECTS IT OFF THE BACKBOARD 😤#MarchMadness @DukeMBB pic.twitter.com/4GJHDFjt6P
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2024
On top of everything, however, Filipowski brings a sizeable frame, as mentioned previously, and can play solid defense as he averaged with both his long arms and solid foot quickness. This is a player who would come off the bench to provide great backup minutes behind Chet Holmgren without too much of a drop-off in offensive and defensive ratings.