Utah Jazz's Biggest Early-Season Surprise Revealed

While winless, it hasn't all been bad for the Utah Jazz this NBA season.

Oct 31, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) passes against defenders Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) and center Walker Kessler (24) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It's been a rough season to start for the Utah Jazz, as the team has begun their 2024-25 campaign, being the only team in the NBA without a win to their name six games in. Yet, even while unable to get out of the trenches early in the year, not everything is so bad concerning the state of the roster.

Through six games (and ultimately six losses) the biggest bright spot as a part of this roster may lie within the Jazz's first-year talent. Utah gave their rebuilding process a considerable boost this summer when they brought three new eye-popping rookies into the mix, and less than a month in, one of them is looking to be a steal of a selection.

Jazz insider Tony Jones of The Athletic recently rattled off some of the more optimistic parts of Utah's roster to start this season, mainly focusing on second-round pick Kyle Filipowski. While only five games, the Duke product has made his impact felt as a two-way player and could be primed to keep building on top of his impressive production moving forward.

"The sample size to this is small — actually, it’s limited to this week, when Filipowski was ushered into service because of the injury to Taylor Hendricks," Jones said. "But Filipowski has been good on both ends of the floor. He’s shown to be a versatile piece with the ability to score on the interior and the perimeter. He made his first career NBA start on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs and should be a rotation piece through his rookie season."

Filipowski has appeared in five games and two starts, averaging 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 50% shooting from the field and 33.3% from deep. With Markkanen recently hitting the sidelines due to his back injury, it's given a path for the Duke rookie to have a bigger role from the jump, and he's clearly capitalized.

Filipowski will have an opportunity to keep the hype train moving on Monday night for the Jazz's next game-- facing off on the road against the 3-3 Chicago Bulls at United Center come 6:30 MT.

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