One Young Player Who Should Be Thrilled About the Utah Jazz's Offseason

The Utah Jazz's offseason appears to be pretty complete for the most part.

They've gotten past the draft and added second-overall pick Darryn Peterson to the roster, moved past their Walker Kessler situation, and added a few new free agents in the process.

All in all, a solid past few weeks from the Jazz's front office. Fans should be pleased with how the front office has positioned this roster for the future, and the same could be said for one particular young player on this roster.

That's none other than Kyle Filipowski, who was on the verge of seeing his stock entering next season plummet, but now could be a pretty important piece of the Jazz's rotation.

Why Kyle Filipowski Should Be a Fan of the Jazz's Offseason

The primary reason that Filipowski should be excited with how the Jazz's offseason has panned out really does center around the sign-and-trade involving Walker Kessler; effectively shipping out Utah's defensive anchor for a bevy of draft assets from the Los Angeles Lakers, while they opted to pay him a $130 million contract.

That deal involving Kessler tends to leave open a ton of opportunity in the Jazz's frontcourt, which already does have a couple of stars at both forward spots in Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., but not at the center position.

As a result, Filipowski can take advantage of that opening in a big way––who, with Kessler on the roster, paired with both Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic, certainly wouldn't see the same opportunities for himself as he would if one of them were out of the picture. In this case, it's Kessler.

Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The guys on the Jazz's roster who will likely see the most minutes at the center spot with Kessler now removed will be Nurkic––who feels primed to start the season there––Jaxson Hayes, and Filipowski, perhaps with some Mo Bamba sprinkled in, along with some minutes with Jackson Jr. moving down to the five.

But of those contenders to get minutes, Filipowski is certainly the one who could be a part of the Jazz's future plans the longest.

He fits the Jazz's timeline, can be on a cheap contract for the next two seasons, and has progressively gotten better as both a rebounder and defender; though still isn't as strong as Kessler in either regard.

However, Filipowski does fit the ideal size profile and can also help Utah in a big way offensively that Kessler might not have been able to do himself.

Expect Kyle Filipowski to Have More Opportunities in 2026-27

Last season, coming off his Summer League MVP performance in Las Vegas, Filipowski averaged around 23 minutes a night for the 77 games he appeared in, and went for 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists––all progressively better numbers from what he did in his rookie campaign, albeit with a bit worse efficiency at 49.2% from the field.

While it might not have been the true sophomore leap that many expected after those impressive numbers in Vegas, Filipowski did see his development take a step in the right direction for the role that he was provided. That's enough to consider his season a success.

But now as the Jazz have a need in their frontcourt, it feels like a favorable bet for Filipowski to perhaps not only reclaim those same minutes in year three, but get a bit more his way.

And if able to improve both his offensive efficiency and defensive impact even further, it'll only continue to establish the 22-year-old as an indispensable piece of this young core moving forward.

So if you aren't already paying attention to him, keep a close eye on Filipowski this coming season, because he could be among the select few players around the roster with his stock seriously on the rise for the 2026-27 campaign.

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