Prospect Watch: Kyle Filipowski is a talented big who's having an up-and-down tournament

The Utah Jazz are, hopefully, going to look to replace John Collins this offseason. While Collins has been a solid offensive player, he's become more famous now for his offensive defense. It's become so bad that he's been someone that many fans are hoping gets traded, as he's single-handedly handcuffing the defense. Now, he isn't alone, as Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, and Jordan Clarkson have all hindered the defense, but Collins is the worst offender.

Replacing him seems to be the move to make, but the Utah Jazz will likely need to draft his replacement; Enter Duke center Kyle Filipowski. Filipowski has been a solid defender, playing mostly at center for the Duke Blue Devils. Yet, he's athletic for a man his size and is a solid defender from underneath. He's likely someone the Jazz would consider depending on a variety of circumstances, the most likely that they package their very first-round pick and very early second-round pick and move up in the draft.

That type of move would give the Jazz (hopefully) a Top 10 pick and a higher pick than they had before. Right now Filipowski is seen as a late-lottery pick or a guy who could fall into the 20s. Should he fall that far and the Jazz move up, he may be the guy the Jazz take a chance on. After seeing his recent game against James Madison, they wouldn't be wrong to give him a shot.

He scored 14 points on 6-8 shooting while pulling in five rebounds, four assists, one block, and two steals. His prior game, against Vermont, saw him only score three points, but excel in other areas. He had 12 rebounds, four more assists, three blocks and two steals. He only took one shot that game, so it's not like he was taking hideous shots all day, he just didn't need to score. Having a mobile, passing big like Filipowski next to Kessler would give the Jazz a great one-two.

What helps him stand out even more is that he's a 35% three-point shooter as a sophomore, meaning he may be able to become the stretch four the Jazz truly need. With his passing, and his defensive abilities, he may just become the versatile big the Jazz need to replace Kelly Olynyk. Though a showdown with No.1 Houston will tell us far more about this potential, and if he can actually play power forward in the NBA.