Jon Scheyer provides injury update on Kyle Filipowski

No team in the ACC is going to enter the 2023-2024 season with more hype than the Duke Blue Devils. Mainly because Kyle Filipowski is returning for his sophomore season. Filipowski easily could have left to begin his professional career but decided to come back to Durham and play under Jon Scheyer for one more season.

There is an injury Filipowski is currently dealing with, though. The Duke forward recently had hip surgery but Scheyer gave a positive update on the process. Scheyer’s hope is that Filipowski will be back to playing five-on-five basketball by the time the calendar moves to October.

“His new nickname is Two Hip Flip,” Scheyer joked. “So he’s got two working hips. He’s as athletic as ever. Actually more athletic. He can get into a defensive stance. For him right now, he’s doing contact. So one on one, two on two. He could probably play tomorrow if he had to. But there is a progression our medical team has put in place. My goal for him is by the end of the month, he is able to do some five-on-five.”

Thankfully, there is still plenty of time for Filipowski to recover. Duke does not begin the regular season until Nov. 6, with Dartmouth coming to Cameron Indoor. Arizona on Nov. 9 will be the first real test for Scheyer’s team, also taking place at home. Most likely, the Arizona matchup is the latest Filipowski would like to return to the lineup.

Two months are between then and now, meaning Duke is in no rush for Filipowski to get back onto the court. Making sure the process is done the right way is the main objective. There are bigger goals for the Blue Devils this season than winning a few nonconference games in November and December.

“We’re in no rush,” Scheyer said. “It’s a long year. The main thing is that he’s healthy, strong, and in a really good position to have a big-time year.”

Filipowski finished as the ACC Rookie of the Year during the 2022-2023 season. Duke won the ACC Tournament and made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in Year One of Scheyer. With some young talent coming into the program, Filipowski is expected to guide the Blue Devils even further this year.

But first, getting healthy is the first priority. As Scheyer calls him, Two Hip Flip is going to be key this upcoming winter.