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Duke Basketball: Impact of Proctor, Filipowski, and Mitchell back for 2023-24 season

By Brian Emory

GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 09: Kyle Filipowski #30 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts following a basket and drawing a foul during the first half of their game against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the quarterfinals of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 9, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 09: Kyle Filipowski #30 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts following a basket and drawing a foul during the first half of their game against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the quarterfinals of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 9, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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Jon Scheyer talks with Kyle Filipowski Duke Basketball (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Kyle Filipowski

For Jon Scheyer, the greatest treat of all was Kyle Filipowski’s decision to return for a sophomore season. Brandon Miller aside, Filipowski was the best freshman in college basketball last season and almost certainly would have been a top-20 choice in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Filipowski is coming off a season in which he led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding with 15.1 and 8.9 respectively. “Flip” ended his freshman campaign with a laundry list of accolades that includes being named the ACC Rookie of the Year and the MVP of the 2023 ACC Tournament.

“When I committed here, I said I wanted to continue the Duke legacy, I wanted to help Coach Scheyer build the foundation. I said I wanted to leave a legacy of my own, and I meant what I said.”

This was the statement echoed by Filipowski to prelude his announcement to return to Durham for another season. Between the sweep of North Carolina and an ACC Tournament championship, Filipowski has already done enough to be remembered fondly by the Cameron Crazies forever. However, it’s clear he’s striving for more. Flip has his eyes set on enshrining himself as one of this program’s true legends, and it’s not out of the question that he gets there.

There weren’t many teams that improved more throughout the course of last season than Duke, but one flaw Scheyer’s squad suffered from throughout the season was the lack of a true “go-to” presence. A player like Paolo Banchero, Zion Williamson, or Jahlil Okafor. Duke didn’t have someone they could trust to put the ball in the hands of in key moments and go get a basket. Year two Kyle Filipowski projects to fill that role, as he should be one of the most reliable scorers in the country next year.

This is not to say Filipowski is without his struggles. I’m sure he’d be the first to tell you that he really needs to improve as a three-point shooter for next season. When considering his draft stock, NBA teams salivate over bigs that can step out and stretch the floor. Filipowski has a nice shot and he’s not shy about attempting three-pointers, but he only converted these looks at a 28% clip as a freshman. If he can push that closer to 35% as a sophomore it will greatly benefit his draft stock.

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