Alex Len Signs with Atlanta

[pokerface]

Len has had a journeyman career thus far in the NBA. He may not have lived up to expectations but he is definitely not a bust.

Here are his stats. These are not the stats of a bust.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lenal01.html

His FG% went up but his FT% went down. Thats Len...he gives with one hand and takes with the other. Plus he only put up about 20mpg on a bad team? Why can't he stay in the game longer? Yeah overall he looks like he is trending upwards but like JC said his basketball IQ and instincts are bad. I would never trust him in a playoff situation.

 

[Hoop Head]

His FG% went up but his FT% went down. Thats Len...he gives with one hand and takes with the other. Plus he only put up about 20mpg on a bad team? Why can't he stay in the game longer? Yeah overall he looks like he is trending upwards but like JC said his basketball IQ and instincts are bad. I would never trust him in a playoff situation.

I think he's a bust but I don't blame him entirely for only playing 20 minutes a game. The Warriors only play their Center about 20 minutes a game also. The way the NBA is now, traditional Centers aren't kept on the floor for the entire game. That said, we did usually play Chandler when Len sat but even when Chandler didn't play and we went small, he still only played 25 minutes because that's all he's really effective for. Defensively it hurts to keep Centers on the floor all game unless they're guarding other Centers or they are great rim protectors. Like with Ayton, I don't expect to see him more than 30 minutes a game and he'll mainly get that because of what he can offensively. When Ayton is sitting, we'll probably go small.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I'd call him a bust. When you draft a center with a top five pick, you envision a close to a double-double player that offers some rim protection. I think Len never has played well enough to meet that criteria. I'd say he is an average NBA center, who has above average tools, but the mental side is where he sucks as a player.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I think he's a bust but I don't blame him entirely for only playing 20 minutes a game. The Warriors only play their Center about 20 minutes a game also. The way the NBA is now, traditional Centers aren't kept on the floor for the entire game. That said, we did usually play Chandler when Len sat but even when Chandler didn't play and we went small, he still only played 25 minutes because that's all he's really effective for. Defensively it hurts to keep Centers on the floor all game unless they're guarding other Centers or they are great rim protectors. Like with Ayton, I don't expect to see him more than 30 minutes a game and he'll mainly get that because of what he can offensively. When Ayton is sitting, we'll probably go small.

I'd expect that Ayton to play a little more than 30 mins a game based on draft position and his skill set. Hopefully he will be good enough to dictate that teams like GSW HAVE TO leave a less skilled big in the game to account for Ayton. If not then why the hell did the Suns draft him? Why not Doncic or Young or to a lesser extent, Bagley?

 

[Hoop Head]

I'd expect that Ayton to play a little more than 30 mins a game based on draft position and his skill set. Hopefully he will be good enough to dictate that teams like GSW HAVE TO leave a less skilled big in the game to account for Ayton. If not then why the hell did the Suns draft him? Why not Doncic or Young or to a lesser extent, Bagley?

When he's more developed, sure, but as a rookie? I don't think we'll see much more than 30 minutes a game from him unless he's having a great game. I believe he has the skill to dictate what other teams do, to a point, but I don't think he'll be able to do that consistently in his rookie year. He is just 19 years old and I don't want to expect too much from him too soon. If he's able this year, great, I'd love to be proved wrong, but I would be surprised if it happened.

I'm not saying he'll be like Len or Bender or Chriss as a rookie, I think Booker is probably the better rookie to compare him to as far as impact as rookie because Booker changed the way the Suns played when he was on the court because he was the first real SG they had since Hornacek's first year here with Dragic and Bledsoe as the dual PG's and Green filling in for either of them when they missed games for injury. Booker helped show how much more efficient Bledsoe was with a real 2 guard next to him, and even did the same with Knight. He didn't blow up as a rookie but he showed a lot of promise. I think Ayton will do the same as far as providing something we haven't had in a long time, an offensive Center that can score well, and he'll help make others better. It will take a year or two before he's capable of playing 35-40 minutes a game and putting up 20 & 10 consistently, or close to that.

 

[Raindog]

Len is a bust - and I don't know how or why anyone would even dispute that. He is nothing more than another Meyers Leonard, at best. All the coaching or changes of scenery in the world aren't going to change that.

He is what he is... and it's probably a good thing the Suns cut bait with him, instead of wasting another two or three seasons waiting on improvement that's most likely never going to come.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

LOL I was so mad we drafted him.

https://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/threads/alex-len.196528/

Compared him to Andris Biedrins and it isn't a stretch on that.

Len: 8.5 points. 7.5 rebounds. 1 bpg 56% shooting
Bierdins: 6.3 points, 7 rebounds, 1.1 BPG 59% shooting

Of course I wanted Noel who sucks even more than Len.

So many decent players after Len.

 

[pokerface]

LOL I was so mad we drafted him.

https://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/threads/alex-len.196528/

Compared him to Andris Biedrins and it isn't a stretch on that.

Len: 8.5 points. 7.5 rebounds. 1 bpg 56% shooting
Bierdins: 6.3 points, 7 rebounds, 1.1 BPG 59% shooting

Of course I wanted Noel who sucks even more than Len.

So many decent players after Len.

I admit I wanted Len and I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt the first couple seasons. It was the third season I really turned on him because I saw no progress and he just didn't seem to have any natural talents to depend on. Plus there was an article I read that really exposed him for what he is. It crunched the numbers and woke me up on his "game".

 

[leclerc]

I have questioned coaching and player development a couple of times the last few years. The bust is on McD and the team as much as it's on Len. I think he can improve elsewhere like sideshow Lopez. Too bad he's not going to Portland.

 

[Phrazbit]

I'm not bitter towards him, he tried, he just was never any good.

But he's a bust, no doubt. He's not am impact player on either end of the court and offensively he's a mess. Even when Chandler was out his minutes were limited by how rapidly he racked up fouls.

 

[Mainstreet]

His FG% went up but his FT% went down. Thats Len...he gives with one hand and takes with the other. Plus he only put up about 20mpg on a bad team? Why can't he stay in the game longer? Yeah overall he looks like he is trending upwards but like JC said his basketball IQ and instincts are bad. I would never trust him in a playoff situation.

It seems like I'm advocating for Len but I'm really not. I'm only saying Len is not a bust in terms of having an NBA career beyond the average career of 4.8 years. He will be entering his 6th and 7th seasons in the NBA averaging 7.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. It's not his fault he was drafted 5th in a bad draft. That's on the GM not Len. My expectations for Len is that of a backup center. If he succeeds to become a starter, this topic will need to be revisited.

 

[Yuma]

That's fair, you can say the pick busted. But Alex Len hasn't. We wasted a pick on him. Whether that was due to poor scouting, poor decision making, poor coaching or poor raw materials to work with, we wasted a pick. But there are busts and then there are busts. The real bust was getting a top 5 pick in a draft mostly devoid of top 10 talent.

That in a nutshell is the luck of the Suns!

 

[Bufalay]

How many players drafted after Len are better than Len?

For a given draft how many players drafted after five are better than the player drafted at 5?

Compare these two numbers and you’ll have your answer as the whether he’s a bust or not.

 

[Phrazbit]

How many players drafted after Len are better than Len?

For a given draft how many players drafted after five are better than the player drafted at 5?

Compare these two numbers and you’ll have your answer as the whether he’s a bust or not.

There were quite a few players better than Len taken after him, in the 10 picks after there was KCP, Burke, McCollum, Adams, Olynyk and Giannis. It was a bad draft but he was still a whiff.

And even so, how many times does a player drafted at 5 not get an offer beyond their qualifying offer? How many teams forgo the bird rights of a player draft in the top 5? Hell, top 10 even. That is really really rare.

Len was a bust.

 

[Cheesebeef]

There were quite a few players better than Len taken after him, in the 10 picks after there was KCP, Burke, McCollum, Adams, Olynyk and Giannis. It was a bad draft but he was still a whiff.

And even so, how many times does a player drafted at 5 not get an offer beyond their qualifying offer? How many teams forgo the bird rights of a player draft in the top 5? Hell, top 10 even. That is really really rare.

Len was a bust.

yup. 6 of the next 10 guys drafted are at the worst, solid contributors. Len wasn't.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Hawks like their big men. Alex Poythress signs a two-way contract.

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