'I told y'all he was good': Jordan Clarkson's early praise of Kyle Filipowski is looking prophetic

SALT LAKE CITY — Jordan Clarkson might be readying for a victory lap.

It took all of one offseason run with Kyle Filipowski for the Jazz veteran guard to realize Utah had something in the second-round pick.

He noticed his vision and how he made plays for his teammates. He saw the shooting form and the range from the big man. He was also impressed with the passing and how Filipwosli broke down defenses.

"It was like something that I haven't seen before at that early stage," Clarkson said in September. "Flip right now, like let's throw him in the game. ... We're going to war with him for sure. He's ready."

It's becoming abundantly clear how spot-on Clarkson was about Utah's second-round pick.

Over the last three games, Filipowski has averaged 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists while shooting 66% from the field and 57% from 3-point range.

There's not a whole lot of players — especially at his size — who can force Luka Doncic into a turnover, dribble the length of the floor, and then throw a perfect lob for an alley-oop. But that's exactly what he did in the first half of Utah's 115-113 win over Dallas.

"I mean, I told y'all, told y'all he was skilled," Clarkson said after the win. "I told y'all he was good and could play. He's doing a good job in the opportunity that he's in right now, making plays on the floor and competing."

That competitive level was never more evident than when Doncic regularly hunted him on switches. Doncic may be the world's best offensive player, and he's a master at punishing mismatches in isolation.

But when Filipowski was switched onto him, it didn't look like an unfair fight. The Jazz rookie moved his feet well and used his size to stop Doncic's drives before they began.

But it was no surprise to Filipowksi that Doncic came after him.

"I know the stereotypes, and I don't think I have to explain that anymore," he said with a smile.

He's tall, he's a rookie, and he's ... well, white. That combination doesn't often make for a great perimeter defender.

But, according to Jazz radio play-by-play announcer David Locke, in 15 matchups between Doncic and Filipowski, the Dallas star was limited to 3 shots and the Mavericks scored just 14 points.

No wonder Jazz coach Will Hardy was so eager to praise Filipowski following the game.

"I thought that Kyle was fantastic," Hardy said. "Luka is one of the hardest players in the league to guard in isolation. I thought that Kyle did a really good job of moving his feet, using his body, bracing up for contact, and really not being sloppy with his hands fouling. So I don't want to take anything away from Kyle's offensive game tonight, but for me, I walk away feeling way more impressed than what he did defensively."

He was pretty good on offense, too, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and a couple of assists.

"This experience is really good for him. I think his teammates have also done a fantastic job of recognizing his skill set and sort of playing to that and communicating with him throughout the game," Hardy said.

At this point, Filipowski may be the most promising of Utah's six draft picks the team has made over the last two years. He was also the only one who wasn't a first-round selection. Life can be funny sometimes.

Now, Clarkson isn't the only one realizing his talent.

"I watched Kyle a lot at Duke, and, you know, we don't really like Duke," said John Collins, who went to Wake Forest. "I still watched him a lot, and just had a lot of respect for his game, and especially now seeing just the way he just comes in. It's just so fluid and effortless. A lot of people are definitely mad, but happy he's my teammate."

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