When players fall down the draft in the NBA it usually has more to do about fit and the talent available than character or lifestyle issues.
But for Duke’s Kyle Filipowski it reportedly was the latter.
Tipped to be a first round pick ahead of the NBA draft, Filipowski dropped to the second round and according to reports from the US, teams got cold feet on the 20-year-old over some off-court concerns surrounding the former Duke star.
Filipowski was eventually selected with the 32nd overall pick by the Utah Jazz, three spots before Australia’s Johnny Furphy, yet insight into Filipowski’s slide down the board began to emerge after he was snubbed in the opening round.
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ESPN’s Draft expert Jonathan Givony said that teams had concerns about the age gap between Filipowski, 20, and his girlfriend, Caitlin Hutchison, 26, and why he was allegedly estranged from his family.
Kyle Filipowski #30 of the Duke Blue Devils. Getty
While Givony questioned why such an issue would impact a team’s decision but could not deny that was part of the discourse surrounding Filipowski.
“NBA teams are talking about the fact that they had question marks about his girlfriend being so much older than him, why was he estranged from his family because of this whole situation,” Givony said.
“He apparently doesn’t talk to his parents or his brother and it’s a very, very odd situation. I personally don’t understand why it would cause him to drop like this into the second round.
“There are no questions about his character, but NBA teams are talking about his nerves and his workouts weren’t great. And when they asked him about the situation in interviews the answers they got weren’t satisfactory for them.”
Filipowski and his girlfriend. Instagram
Reports also stated that an X account that appears to belong to Filipowski’s brother Daniel, posted the basketball player was forced to cut off contact with his family by his girlfriend.
“Story that has been pushed under the table for nearly two years now,” Daniel Filipowski alleges.
“[Hutchison] forced him to cut us off from his life almost two years ago. Sent us an email and everything. Basically the official ‘goodbye letter.'”
In April, Hutchison, posted an Instagram photo of the two with the caption, “Four months since the happiest yes I’ll ever say” and a ring emoji.