Kyle Filipowski's brother calls out Duke for allegedly not helping them amid Caitlin Hutchison controversy: "An absolute shame"
Kyle Filipowski's brother Daniel has accused the Utah Jazz center's former program, the Duke Blue Devils, of seemingly not protecting his brother during the saga with his fiancee Caitlin Hutchison.
Big things were expected of the former Duke Blue Devils center during the 2024 NBA draft where he was projected to be a high first-round pick. He was even invited to the green room but ended the night in disappointment as he went unselected.
Filipowski was finally selected No. 32 by the Utah Jazz on Day 2. Before the draft, a story by Zach Lowe of ESPN emerged that said Filipowski's fiancee, Caitlin Hutchison, was much older than he was and that they started dating when he was in high school. They were photographed together at his senior prom in 2022 when he was 18 years old and she was 24 (per The U.S. Sun).
Becky Filipowski and Daniel Filipowski, the Utah Jazz star's mother and brother took to X to reveal that he had cut them off at the insistence of Hutchison and that she had in fact 'groomed' him.
Daniel Filipowski took to X to lambast the center's former program.
"As a kid, I grew up idolizing and wanting to be the next Coach K. The years of success of what he built at Duke, just to be torn down in two years. An absolute shame! To know what has changed, and only for the worse for the program. You all don’t realize how bad Duke is really missing Coach K," Daniel Filipowski wrote on X.
"For the staff to just turn around and hide from the problem when we asked for help from the very beginning. Duke students, we know you have the story when you were told to keep it quiet. Make no mistake, you have the power in your voices to continue to ignite this push further!"
Analyst explains the Kyle Filipowski slide
Kyle Filipowski's slide from a projected first-round pick was one of the key stories of this year's draft alongside Bronny James getting picked by the LA Lakers.
ESPN Draft analyst Jonathan Givony explained the circumstances behind the slide on "The Lowe Post" podcast.
"The workouts weren't great, people tell me," Givony said. "There were question marks about the interviews. He was nervous. He didn't make shots at the pro day. It's hard to find a seven-footer like Kyle Filipowski who is this skilled. Somebody needs to draft him very early in the second round."
Several fans were stunned at the position Kyle Filipowski found himself in and the former Duke star will start his NBA career with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove.