Utah Jazz Rookie Fills Stat Sheet In Preseason Finale

The Utah Jazz selected Kyle Filipowski with the No. 32 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Duke big man could be the latest stat sheet stuffer down low for Will Hardy's team.

Oct 18, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) battles for a rebound against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Will Hardy is entering his third season with the Utah Jazz. While it is hard to figure out the direction the Jazz are headed in the stacked Western Conference for the 2023-25 campaign, no matter if they stick around in the standings or bottom out from the word go, one thing is for sure.

For Hardy, you can count on young players quickly getting up to speed. He along with Mark Daigneault and a select few others can get the best out of the young players quicker than the average bench boss. So, when the Jazz used the 2024 NBA Draft to collect all the high-end talent who took draft day stumbles, it was not that surprsing.

Looking at what the Jazz did for Walker Kessler, it is hard not to envision Hardy putting another young center Kyle Filipowski in a position to succeed sooner rather than later after drafted the Duke big man with the No. 32 pick in June's draft.

The NBA preseason came to a close on Friday night with the Utah Jazz suffering a lopsided loss to the Portland Trail Blazers 124-86. Though, in this forgetable finale, Filipowski stuffed the stat sheet.

Standing at seven-feet with shooting potential, it is easy to see why he was worth a second round flyer after a shocking draft day stumble. In this game, the Duke product posted four points, dished four assists, hauled in five rebounds and a block.

The Utah Jazz will start their season on Oct. 23 against the Memphis Grizzlies in what will be Zach Edey's NBA debut, perhaps Filipowski plays a part in that matchup.

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