Not only should everyone know by this point that the Utah Jazz will shift gears towards playoff contention, but it's becoming painfully obvious that the team might have an embarrassment of riches. One of said riches is the blossoming Kyle Filipowski.
Because most of Utah's bigs are on the shelf, Filipowski has been forced into a bigger role on the team. The returns have been mostly positive, as Filipowski has yet again asserted himself as a clear-as-day rotation big at minimum.
This is a great development for the Jazz, given what's on the horizon next season, but Filipowski's breakout should also make them wonder whether it's truly necessary to re-sign Jusuf Nurkic this offseason. After all, there's only so many minutes to go around in the frontcourt, and Filipowski has played well enough to warrant an increased role.
Utah loved the Jusuf Nurkic experience, as many were skeptical of what he was still capable of at the start, yet he not only proved how valuable he remains as a rebounder and passer but also embraced Utah from the jump. That's quite the change of pace from other veterans who have joined the Jazz in the past, especially during a rebuild.
As a cherry on top, Nurkic made it pretty clear that his preference is to stay in Utah. He won't demand all that much in free agency, and not many teams have cap space, so why not bring him back? Well, when you couple him with the rising Filipowski, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler, it creates a logjam.
Jazz may throw caution to the wind anyway
Utah will still have some money this offseason, and because they will try to win at all costs, they may be willing to bite the bullet to create a five-man rotation in their frontcourt. It will likely be hard to juggle minutes between five players who deserve playing time, which could cause some problems.
On the flip side, what's wrong with having a little too much depth? Nurkic is on the decline and will probably demand fewer minutes as time goes on. The Jazz will have an entire season to figure out what lineups work and what don't.
The dirty little secret about Filipowski is that while he may be putting up flashy numbers now, back when the season first started, and the Jazz were healthier, Utah rolled out a successful three-man lineup featuring him, Markkanen, and Kessler, thereby demonstrating he's not an empty-calorie player.
If it weren't for Kessler's season-ending shoulder surgery, the team could have seen that lineup through. It probably would have played a part in Utah taking a noticeable leap, which, in all fairness, they didn't want to do with what was at stake.
Filipowski has asserted himself quite well in his first two NBA seasons, while Nurkic has proven he's worth keeping. Having them both on the roster could be a problem for Utah, but it's a good problem to have.