Pro Insight Scout on Filipowski, Lively

In our last series with Pro Insight scout Michael Visenberg, today’s topic centers on Duke’s incoming big men.

In the final edition of our series of prospect reviews, Bull City Hoops spoke with Michael Visenberg of Pro Insight Hoops for his recent scouting evaluations of incoming Duke freshmen Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively.

Both big men are expected to make an immediate impact for Jon Scheyer’s squad as freshmen. And they’ll arrive this summer in Durham to begin their collegiate days.

Visenberg recently spent a few days watching the duo up close in the Nike Hoops Summit and he was kind enough to share his observations with BCH.

The Oregon scout raved about the 6-foot-11 stretch big man from Wilbraham, Massachusetts’ diverse skill-set, particularly on the offensive side of things.

“Smooth shot, good footwork on offense,” he said of Filipowski. “He can put the ball on the floor and score from all three levels.

“He rebounded pretty well in scrimmages, had four offensive boards in the game. Seemed to miss a lot of shots close to the basket, not a ton of lift and had some difficulty scoring through contact,” he continued.

Overall, though, Visenberg thinks he’ll be a tough matchup due to his size and diverse skill-set inside and out on the perimeter.

“(He) still can dribble, pass and shoot at 6-11, definite potential as a scoring threat,” he said.

And while Filipowski is mostly known for his offensive abilities and scoring, Lively is more known for his outstanding defensive ability, his quickness for a big man and his work around the rim in transition.

Visenberg started with Lively’s coveted shot blocking.

“That was what stood out; he can really affect shots around the basket and has really rare speed at 7-1. Good in transition, off cuts and is a lob threat. Had some nice passing flashes as well, though the shooting still seems to be more in theory than practice. Hard to find guys with his type of height, agility and athleticism, plus timing as a shot blocker.”

And with the wheels, agility, length and bounce that Lively has, some scouts feel his biggest areas of growth are still his strength and low post scoring moves.

Visenberg agrees and talked about those opportunities as well.

“Still something he will need to work on,” he said of Lively’s strength. “Not someone you are going to look to in the post for an easy basket or expect to create for himself. Does his work by running and working off ball. Could certainly use strength to maintain position around the basket, for setting screens.”

Both Filipowski and Lively are expected to immediately compete for starting positions in Durham. With Paolo Banchero, Trevor Keels, Mark Williams, Wendell Moore and Theo Johns all having left — these two five-star prospects will certainly have the chance to shine in Cameron Indoor Stadium.