Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Kyle Filipowski's improved shooting has been a highlight for the Utah Jazz.
- Coach Will Hardy and Filipowski discussed midseason shot adjustments, boosting his performance.
- Despite Filipowski's efforts, the Jazz lost to the 76ers and face a challenging season.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy used a metaphor to explain why he's often reluctant to alter young players' mechanics too early on.
"When you make adjustments, especially when guys are just coming into the league, it would be like somebody gets their PGA Tour card, and the first day you tell them you're going to change their swing," Hardy said. "And they're going, 'Well, my swing got me on tour — I think it's OK.'"
The same goes for changing a rookie's shot. It can feel like overcoaching and sow seeds of distrust if approached incorrectly. But, if approached the right way, it can lead to positive results.
Kyle Filipowski is Utah's best example of that.
The former Duke Blue Devil hit two 3-pointers late to nearly bring the Jazz back in a 126-122 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, continuing a recent trend of strong shooting performances from the rookie big man.
Filipowksi finished with a career-high tying 25 points to lead Utah and was 4-for-9 from behind the arc. It was the third time this month he had 23 or more points.
"I'm proud of the work that he's put in," Hardy said. "To shoot those two late as quickly as he did, it shows that the work is paying off. I think that Flip's development of his shot is definitely one of the highlights of this year for us."
It was a highlight that started from a conversation on a plane between Hardy and Filipowski. The Jazz coach came to him with the idea to change his shot midseason — nothing major, just a few minor adjustments.
"I went to Kyle directly, and he and I sat down and had a just an honest conversation about where he's at, where he's going," Hardy said.
Hardy wanted to make this clear, though: It was Filipowski's decision.
Like the first-year PGA pros, Filipwoski had done something right to make it to the NBA; he had been a top recruit in high school, a collegiate All-American, after all. For the coaching to take hold, Filipowski had to believe in it; he had to be committed.
"I definitely approached it with an open mind," Filipowksi said. "I was very grateful for it. He gave me the option. He wasn't like, 'Hey, this is what we're doing.' It was: 'This is what I think we should do.'"
And then left the choice up to the rookie big man.
Filipowski didn't need any time to ponder, though; he was game. Heck, he wasn't shooting that well anyway — why wait till the offseason when he can fix things now?
"I didn't think it was bad at all. I actually, liked it," Filipowski said. "That's why I went along with it in the middle of the season, because we could very easily just wait till the summer, which was the original plan."
The loss to the Sixers was his 12th mutli-3-pointer game since the calendar turned to the new year. That's given the Utah a positive as the end-of-season tank has gone on.
The Jazz have lost five games in a row to teams that are a combined 94 games below .500 this season. Utah now has the second-worst record in the league, and could challenge for the bottom spot by the final game.
That is the plan, at least. Utah had just nine players available, seven of which were 24 or younger.
"Tonight was a tricky night being really short handed, but I do think that there are still signs of the young players improving," Hardy said. "It's hard in different moments when their roles grow rapidly and they're taking on more responsibility than they're used to, and in some situations, you know, more responsibility than maybe they're ready for."
Filipwoski, at least, has shown that he may be ready for more.
