Why the Cavaliers Should Draft Kyle Filipowski at Pick 20

After a likely trade involving Jarrett Allen goes down, Cleveland should use Pick 20 on Duke floor-spreading big Kyle Filipowski to pair with Evan Mobley.

Mar 31, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Kyle Filipowski (30) reacts in the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the finals of the South Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at American Airline Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have an embarrassment of riches at center, which can be viewed as a "good" problem to have.

But there is one problem: Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, two elite defensive centers that play right around the rim, likely can't coexist on the floor for much longer with the overlap in their skillsets. It's time for the Cavs to think about moving on from Allen and going with a big that fits next to Mobley long term.

The good news for the Cavaliers is that Jarrett Allen will fetch a pretty penny on the trade market. The big averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 stocks, and shot 63.4% from the field. The defensive stalwart will likely be sent off through no fault of his own – he's simply too similar to Mobley for them to share the floor.

Plenty of teams are interested in Allen – after all, his player archetype has made a serious comeback in the NBA, evidenced by the performance of Dereck Lively II in the NBA Playoffs for Dallas. The lob-threat big that can defend the paint has a major place in today's basketball world due to the heavy focus on rim scoring.

Once Allen is traded and some serious draft capital is earned back, it's time for Cleveland to figure out the piece to place next to Evan Mobley, someone who can spread the floor from the power forward spot as well as play some minutes at the center position when Mobley is on the bench.

Assuming they use Pick 20 to address this need, a player that could be sitting right there for them is Duke big Kyle Filipowski, a skilled post that can score from inside using touch as well as spot up and space the floor with solid shooting.

Though not an elite 3-point shooter, Filipowski still managed 34.8% from beyond the arc on 3.1 attempts per game in his most recent season. Contrast this to Allen, who shot fewer than 0.1 per game and hit no threes this past season.

This isn't a criticism of Jarrett Allen as much as it is a description of why Kyle Filipowski makes a lot more sense on the offensive end than Allen does. With Filipowski's burgeoning ability to shoot, he creates space not just for Mobley to work down low, but also for Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to attack the basket using open lanes created by a stretch four.

It just makes too much sense for Cleveland is Filipowski is available at No. 20. This is of course dependent on a trade that has not happened or been announced yet, but should this likely scenario go down, the Duke big works flawlessly in the offense.

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