Big loser of the 2024 Draft, Kyle Filipowski had to wait a day longer than expected before being selected by an NBA franchise. Expected to be around 20th place, the former Duke player ultimately fell to the second round, and it was only the next day that Utah got their hands on him, with its 32nd pick.
How can this shift be explained? ESPN's “Mr. Draft,” Jonathan Givony, had explained before the Draft that “Flip's” workouts had not been good, and that his interviews had not won over the franchisees either, particularly regarding his family situation, because he is angry with his parents and his brother… because of his partner.
Jonathan Givony did not imagine that this would cool the franchises so much, except that Kyle Filipowski's mother and brother then intervened on X/Twitter to explain that the situation was more problematic than announced by the journalist, and that the quarrel went beyond the usual framework of tensions with the in-laws.
Manipulation and psychological control?
The player's relatives accuse Caitlin Hutchison of “manipulate and control him psychologically”.
According to them, the young woman seduced Kyle Filipowski as soon as she detected his sporting potential, in 2019. The problem is that they claim that she was 22 years old at the time, when he was 15.
Now, Kyle Filipowski (20) and Caitlin Hutchison (27) are engaged, but the basketball player's family insists that “Flip” is under the influence of his partner, a member of the Mormon community, and that it is she who forced him to cut ties with his loved ones. And contrary to what Jonathan Givony initially imagined, the situation has undoubtedly had a real impact on the former Blue Devil's rating, his “nervousness” during interviews being partly linked to questions on the subject.
In Utah, they were clearly not afraid of Mormon influence on Kyle Filipowski. It must be said that the state is the heart of the religious community and that Danny Ainge, the club's sports boss, is himself Mormon.
On the side of Caitlin Hutchison and her mother, we say in any case that we are ready to “to face the storms” which are announced.
