Kyle Filipowski was the best player in summer league, what does that mean for his NBA future?

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Kyle Filipowski didn’t even know summer league MVP was a thing when he woke up Tuesday morning.

By the afternoon, he had won the award.

Not a bad surprise for the second-year Jazz player.

Filipowski was named the best player of Las Vegas Summer League on Tuesday after leading the showcase with 29.3 points in the three games. He shot 56.1% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range, while also adding 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.

“I was not trying to show anything specific,” the second-year big said. “I was just trying to show how good of a player I am, how dominant of a player I am. I didn’t think I would be the MVP of the league this summer; I didn’t even think about that for a second. It was just trying to show how dominant and unique of a player I am.”

Then again, it’s hard to think about winning something you didn’t even know existed.

So what are his thoughts about winning it now that he does?

“I don’t even know if I get like a trophy or anything, but it’s pretty cool,” he said. “Just kind of seeing my hard work paying off with little accolades like these. But, I mean, summer league’s over now, and as fun as that was with how well I played, now it’s the next step.”

That next step? Turning summer production into real NBA impact

He understands that, for the most part, summer league is a showcase. Rookies want to prove they are NBA-ready, and older players want to make cases for bigger roles (or even contracts) when the season comes around.

While it’s undoubtedly a positive to be named summer league MVP, it’s hardly an indicator of future NBA stardom. Rarely do the stars of the summer become stars in the NBA, at least not in the last decade.

Damian Lillard (2012) was the last summer league MVP to become an All-Star, but most have turned into productive players like Josh Hart, Tyus Jones, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Clarke, and Cam Thomas.

And for Filipowski, what he did this summer was a sign that he’s progressing into a player who can help a team win.

“I kind of look at summer league as a little opportunity to work on those things that you may not really get the opportunity to as much in the regular season,” he said. “Looking at this summer league MVP is just another, another positive step towards improving myself and trying to be a positive factor to a winning team and its culture.”

On that note, it was a confidence-boosting summer for Filipowski.

When he entered the league last year, Filipowski felt like he was back at square one. It didn’t matter what he had accomplished at Duke, there was a feeling that he had to prove himself all over again. That, he admitted, messed with his confidence a bit — and dropping to the second round of the draft likely didn’t help either.

While he had a solid rookie season, averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, he said there were times he was so focused on trying not to make a mistake that he didn’t play like he knew he could.

That play came out this summer. And he’s hopeful it’ll stick around for the regular season.

“All of those experiences, good and bad, I definitely think both of them helped me grow as a person, as a player, to get to a moment like this,” he said. “All of those bumps are definitely meant to happen to help me become the best version of myself.”