Duke Basketball: 3 reasons Kyle Filipowski made right decision to return for 2023-24

National Player of the Year Candidate

Winning the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Player of the Year Award is a big deal. Whether or not a player goes on to have a great professional career, being named player of the year in college is an award that he can cherish for a lifetime. When the inevitable “all too early” lists are announced by the various outlets that cover college basketball, Kyle Filipowski’s name will be included on every list as a candidate for the award.

This past season, Zach Edey of the Purdue Boilermakers was declared the Player of the Year after averaging 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. While those are certainly sensational averages, it is not unthinkable that Filipowski could come close to matching those numbers next season. In his freshman campaign, Filipowski averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Blue Devils. As the team’s undisputed number-one option next season, he could reach the coveted “20 and 10” mark that only elite big men are capable of averaging.

As a freshman, Filipowski helped his team earn 3rd place in the ACC’s regular season standings. However, they went on to upset the Virginia Cavaliers in the championship game. Next year, as an even more seasoned player, Filipowski along with Mark Mitchell and Tyrese Proctor, could lead the Blue Devils to a dominant regular season that would result in first place in the ACC and put them in position to bring home another Conference title.

A season like that would certainly catapult him to the top of the National Player of the Year discussion and it is more likely than ever now that the soon-to-be sophomore has the full trust of his coaches and teammates. It is just one of the reasons that returning to school was the right decision for Kyle Filipowski.