Duke basketball: Kyle Filipowski sets tentative timeline to return to court

Duke basketball forward Kyle Filipowski has an idea when he will return to the court. 

It has been an eventful offseason for Duke basketball superstar Kyle Filipowski but he’s finally starting to feel like himself again.

After he announced he would be returning to the program for his sophomore season, Filipowski underwent double arthroscopic hip surgery which has kept him on the sidelines as the rest of the team is in the middle of its summer workouts.

However, Filipowski told teammate Ryan Young on The Brotherhood podcast that he knew before his freshman year that he was going to eventually need hip surgery.

“It was starting to become an issue in my junior and senior years of high school,” Filipowski explained.

“I really didn’t know what was wrong with [my hips] until I got some MRIs in coming [to Duke] last summer.”

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Filipowski stated that he would feel a sharp pain in his hips if he extended his legs too far in a certain direction and it would also affect his stamina on the court.

Regardless, the bad hips did not slow the 7-footer down in his first season in which he won the ACC Rookie of the Year as he posted 15.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game.

Filipowski said getting the surgery immediately after the season, and getting both fixed at the same time, has been a major positive since it allows him to return to the floor quicker.

“I feel like a regular human with hips that can function good,” Filipowski joked as he explained that head coach Jon Scheyer will be expecting him to play better defense with his new hips.

Duke basketball star anticipating return to the court

Kyle Filipowski is nearing the three month mark from his surgery and he is eager to get back on the court with his teammates but knows that he has to be smart in order to be at his best for the regular season.

“I’ll be doing some more stuff on my own on the other court,” Filipowski said of what his plans are while the rest of the team is working out 5-on-5 during the summer.

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“I’ll eventually build my way back into some drills [with the team] over the summer but I won’t really be doing anything with contact until August.”

Filipowski said that his pending hip surgeries did not factor into his decision to return to Duke for another season.

Duke also saw the return of Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, and Mark Mitchell this offseason while bringing in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country headlined by four 5-star prospects in Caleb Foster, Jared McCain, Sean Stewart, and TJ Power.