Angle Fantasy Basketball

We often overlook a promising prospect every year in our dynasty rookie drafts because we fixate on age and the term “upside.” There is a common misconception that the younger the player is, the more untapped potential they have. Thus causing college returnees to slide in dynasty rookie drafts. Prime examples in the last two drafts? Jalen Williams and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Two college upperclassmen who possessed a great feel for the game, positional size, and underrated athletic ability to make them plus defenders. Both were drafted in the mid-teens range in their respective drafts. 

Kyle Filipowski

Now, who do I think is 2024’s next draft gem? Meet Kyle Filipowski, a 7-foot 248-pound Sophomore Center playing out of Duke University. Filipowski is a multi-talented big man who was a top prospect from the 2022 recruiting class. As Derrick Lively and Dariq Whitehead entered last year’s draft, Filipowski took full advantage of the opportunity and expanded his game from the previous year. So, what exactly changed, and why should you buy into his development? 

Filipowski’s Stat Set

Last year, Filipowski was utilized as a back-to-the-basket center playing alongside Derrick Lively, who had question marks on the defensive end and his ability to shoot the 3 consistently. Now, Filipowski is playing as the focal point in the offense, leading 7th-ranked Duke to 8 straight victories. Filipowski’s game resembles shades of Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. Filipowski possesses the unique ability as a driver, secondary creator, and an improved shooter from 3 with great touch. In addition, Filipowski is also one of the best on and off-ball screeners I’ve seen in a while and does a great job anticipating where the defender will go, freeing up his point guard in the PnR. As a creator, he has a knack for sealing his defender and scoring efficiently in the low post, but also the awareness to sense a double team and throw a skip pass for an open 3. 

Passing

Filipowski’s secondary creation skill as a passer makes him a unique prospect at 7 feet tall. Filipowski is arguably one of the best passers in this draft outside of Nikola Topic and Reed Sheppard. He is an excellent decision-maker on the fly, and his passing ability will surely translate in the NBA’s spacing. Currently, he has an assist percentage of 20.2% as a center. In comparison, secondary creating centers in college Domantas Sabonis and Kelly Olynyk had assist percentages of 11.3% and 15.1%, respectively. (6-second clip of showcasing his ability as a connector)

Defense

Filipowski’s swing skill is his defensive competency. Filipowski currently operates through the drop coverage due to his lack of lateral quickness and inconsistent perimeter defense. However, he has made positive strides as a weak side rim protector, improving from 0.7 blocks per game to 1.9 and his block percentage from 2.8% to a respectable 7.4%, and opponents are scoring only 45% of their attempts at the rim. (10-second clip highlighting his weak side rim protection below)

Player Comparisons

I’m not saying Kyle Filipowski will demonstrate the same level of return on investment as Jalen Williams and Jaime Jaquez Jr. However, Kyle Filipowksi is someone I believe is worth taking a gamble on in the mid-first round of your Dynasty Rookie Drafts in 2024 and has the potential to return early value.