Kyle Filipowski declares for NBA draft
Sophomore 7-footer leaving Duke as a projected first-round pick
Kyle Filipowski announced that he is declaring for the NBA draft and foregoing his final two seasons of eligibility.
Duke’s second-team All-America pick announced he was entering the NBA draft on Friday, about an hour after freshman Jared McCain announced the same thing.
Filipowski has been Duke’s leading scorer and rebounder in each of the last two seasons. His scoring went from 15.1 to 16.4 points per game from his freshman to sophomore seasons, while his rebounding declined from 8.9 last year to 8.3 this past season.
The 7-footer was the ACC rookie of the year. Returning to Duke for a sophomore season meant he was the first ACC rookie of the year to have a sophomore season since Boston College's Olivier Hanlan, who was a freshman in the 2012-13 season.
Filipowski started all 72 games each of the last two seasons, too. He underwent double-hip surgery after last season, the program announced in mid-April, and missed a chunk of the offseason.
Filipowski played the 4-position for most of his freshman season, and was Duke’s center for most of this past season.
This year’s draft class is not thought to be deep. Filipowski is projected to be either a late lottery or mid-first-round selection.
The key dates moving forward are:
- May 12-19; NBA Draft Combine (in Chicago).
- May 29; NCAA’s deadline to withdraw from the draft and retain eligibility.
- June 16; NBA’s deadline to withdraw from the draft (to pursue other pro opportunities and reenter the draft process in a later year).
- June 26-27; NBA Draft.