The wild Kyle Filipowski ‘girlfriend’ saga, defined as greatest we are able to.

Kyle Filipowski ought to have been a Prime 20 choose within the 2024 NBA Draft, particularly this NBA Draft. Whenever you’re a seven-foot stretch 4 from Duke who averaged 16 factors and eight rebounds, when a lot of the 2024 class is stuffed with Hail Mary picks and “what ifs,” it doesn’t matter that there are issues about your athleticism or shot creation — you get picked early.

As a substitute, we noticed one of many extra puzzling draft drops in latest reminiscence. Within the span of 24 hours, Filipowski went from being mocked as excessive because the early teenagers to falling out of the primary spherical altogether — incomes the unlucky “reward” of turning as much as the NBA Draft inexperienced room for probably first-round draft picks, then ready all evening with out listening to his title known as with out getting picked (he was finally taken within the second spherical, on Day 2 of the Draft, with the Utah Jazz deciding on him thirty second total).

Clearly, one thing had groups spooked about Filipowski, however no person may have predicted how this saga would unfold over the web on Thursday.

Considerations of an older “girlfriend”

The primary experiences of one thing being off within the Filipowski camp got here on Thursday morning as ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony defined on The Lowe Submit Podcast what he’d heard from groups regarding the Duke huge man.

“NBA groups are speaking about the truth that they’d questions on his girlfriend being a lot older than him, why was he estranged from his household due to this complete scenario. It’s a really, very odd scenario. I personally don’t perceive why it could trigger him to drop like this into the second spherical.”

Simply to determine issues: Caitlin Hutchinson is being known as Filipowski’s “girlfriend,” nonetheless the couple are engaged as of April 18 — with the intent of getting married in August.

Because it pertains to draft inventory: Filipowski is 20 years outdated, and Givony mentioned his fiancee is 25 — positive, the age distinction is a little bit uncommon, nevertheless it’s hardly the type of earth-shattering revelation that may usually tank a draft inventory. Equally, there have been a lot of potential rookies who’ve been estranged from their dad and mom, and it didn’t trigger them to fall like Filipowski was.

There was a lacking piece to this puzzle, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the web started to try to work out what was happening right here.

What we find out about Caitlin Hutchinson

An Alabama native, there’s little concrete info on who precisely Filipowski’s fiancee is. Most info could be gleaned from previous social media posts, which as of writing are nonetheless public.

Making an attempt to determine Hutchinson’s age is vital right here, and that may change into very obvious in a second. A Fb submit from December 23, 2018 exhibits Hutchinson graduating from Alabama.

One other submit Hutchinson is tagged in from Instagram exhibits her in a highschool commencement robe in Might of 2015.

Whereas it’s attainable she graduated from highschool or faculty early, if she stayed on a regular monitor she is both 27 or 28 years outdated, together with her now being 6 years faraway from faculty. Once more, that’s not likely a difficulty. As we’ve established, a 20-year-old relationship somebody of their late-20s may be odd — nevertheless it’s not precisely a significant purple flag.

However that is.

The promenade picture

As folks combed by way of social media on Thursday morning a photograph of Filipowski and Hutchinson from his highschool promenade started catching everybody’s eye. It exhibits the couple collectively and is dated Might 21, 2022.

Filipowski was born in November of 2003. On the time of this picture he was 17 years outdated, and Hutchinson was (most likely) 25 or 26. Even when we assume the primary time they met was at this promenade, that’s nonetheless an grownup relationship a minor. Nonetheless, a now-deleted touch upon the Filipowski promenade picture from Hutchinson learn: “one 12 months with my favourite particular person.”

This might imply that they began their relationship when he was 16 years outdated and he or she was probably 24 or 25.

The Filipowski household weighs in

A vital element of this story, along with the connection, have been experiences Filipowski had change into estranged from his household over relationship Hutchinson.

It wasn’t lengthy earlier than folks claiming to be Kyle’s older brother Daniel, and his mother Becky have been on Twitter explaining their aspect of issues — and making an attempt to trace down Jonathan Givony to inform their aspect of the story.

If we mix the accounts of the Filipowski household, they seem like alleging that Caitlin Hutchinson started a relationship with Filipowski as a excessive schooler with the intent of grooming him and changing him to the mormon faith. Based on their allegations, that features a long-term play to change into engaged to him shortly after he left Duke, and with the NBA on the horizon. This seems to have precipitated friction between Filipowski and his household, with Kyle seemingly selecting his relationship with Caitlin over his household, and — once more, in keeping with their tweets and Givony’s accounting of what NBA executives are saying — severing a relationship with them.

What can we make of all this?

If all the pieces outlined above is to be believed, Filipowski could possibly be seen as a sufferer. Once more, if the info outlined above are literally what occurred, it could seem an grownup entered a relationship with a highschool basketball participant, one who was extremely touted and appeared destined for the NBA.

Then, the identical relationship reportedly broken his draft inventory by making Filipowski both too uncomfortable to speak about in interviews, which scared off groups — or by elevating purple flags about Hutchinson’s affect on his life.

As of proper now, it doesn’t seem there’s something unlawful happening. Filipowski is 20, his fiancee is in her late-20s, to allow them to do what they need. Nonetheless, this story isn’t going away, and it might be solely a matter of time earlier than extra info involves mild in regards to the nature of this relationship and the way it’s broken the Filipowski household. On the very least, given how a lot this has blown up on the web and seems to have broken his draft inventory sufficient to drop a possible lottery pick of the primary spherical totally, it appears possible that Filipowski will get requested about it by NBA media in some unspecified time in the future, when perhaps we are going to get his and Hutchinson’s aspect of the story.