Alex Len

[Clevelander]

how do you suns fans think this kid will do this season? honestly

[MathiasPW]

Who knows, we've barely seen him play. He is a lot stronger, at least that we can tell

[DirtyDez]

Would like to see minutes period. Positive minutes would be swell.

[JDLAW]

how do you suns fans think this kid will do this season? honestly

He is going to be fine. Why do you ask?

[Clevelander]

how do you suns fans think this kid will do this season? honestly

He is going to be fine. Why do you ask?

because I don't know much nor have I seen much of alex len. I thought he was a pretty good prospect, but he was injured most of last year. I figure suns fans follow him more than I do, so I was just seeking input.

[Qwigglez]

Seeking input because he was a candidate for the Cavs possible 1st round pick last year (as opposed to Bennett)? I think Len will progress year by year and I'm hoping he won't have any more injuries. I think we are gonna bring him along slowly, and he will show glimpses here and there of what he can bring in the future. I hope he sees 20-24 minutes a night, playing more than 60 games this season, but that is expecting much.

[LukasBMW]

Alex Len reminds me a bit of Robin Lopez.

Both were intimidating forces on the defensive end from day one in their rookie years. When they were in, they changed shots, but that was about it.

Lopez was better offensively right away, but Len has an outside jump shot that shows much more potential.

Both are hard workers and hustle type guys. Both are flat footed and a bit slow especially on lateral movement. But Len had a foot problem. He sure looked like he could have more athletic potential then Lopez if he heal up. His highlights from college are quite impressive regarding his speed for someone his size.

It's my hope that Len can develop into a Robin Lopez type with a jump shot. Len has already put on 25 pounds of muscle in the off season which should help him fight for points on the inside.

[phrazbit]

Not sure I would call Len a hustle guy. His MO in college and as a pro is that he goes looooong stretches where he seems invisible. His biggest impact as a defender was simply fouling people, opponents actually shot better with Len in the game than with him out of it.

He was really really bad as a rookie. Hopefully this season he will be better, but his improvement will probably come in baby steps. I also don't think he fits in with our offensive philosophy given how slow he is in transition, so unless he fixes that problem expect it to limit his minutes.

If I had to guess Len's averages this season I'd say 12 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds.

[MathiasPW]

Not sure I would call Len a hustle guy. His MO in college and as a pro is that he goes looooong stretches where he seems invisible. His biggest impact as a defender was simply fouling people, opponents actually shot better with Len in the game than with him out of it.

He was really really bad as a rookie. Hopefully this season he will be better, but his improvement will probably come in baby steps. I also don't think he fits in with our offensive philosophy given how slow he is in transition, so unless he fixes that problem expect it to limit his minutes.

If I had to guess Len's averages this season I'd say 12 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds.

I truly don't understand your post.

1) Len never played "long stretches" for Phoenix to seem invisible. He played a few min a night, if ever.

2) He picked up fights in several games where he was in (Nick Young?)

3) Phoenix drafted him precisely because of his speed in transition. Check it out on minute 3:00 on his scouting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbn5U7aI2Ng#t=196

[aIvin adams]

Alex Len reminds me a bit of Robin Lopez.

Both were intimidating forces on the defensive end from day one in their rookie years. When they were in, they changed shots, but that was about it.

Lopez was better offensively right away, but Len has an outside jump shot that shows much more potential.

Both are hard workers and hustle type guys. Both are flat footed and a bit slow especially on lateral movement. But Len had a foot problem. He sure looked like he could have more athletic potential then Lopez if he heal up. His highlights from college are quite impressive regarding his speed for someone his size.

It's my hope that Len can develop into a Robin Lopez type with a jump shot. Len has already put on 25 pounds of muscle in the off season which should help him fight for points on the inside.

Len looks a lot more mobile-- both running up and down the court as well as laterally/guarding the perimeter on a screen. He's also quick when he sets a pick himself, diving at the hoop if his lane is clear. Better offensive instincts IMO

[Bulk]

I'm expecting 6 points / 6 rebounds in limited play, around 12-14 mpg.

He needs play time to keep developing and in order to do that he needs to stay healthy. Any word on his broken finger? Will he be fully recovered when training camp starts?

[phrazbit]

Not sure I would call Len a hustle guy. His MO in college and as a pro is that he goes looooong stretches where he seems invisible. His biggest impact as a defender was simply fouling people, opponents actually shot better with Len in the game than with him out of it.

He was really really bad as a rookie. Hopefully this season he will be better, but his improvement will probably come in baby steps. I also don't think he fits in with our offensive philosophy given how slow he is in transition, so unless he fixes that problem expect it to limit his minutes.

If I had to guess Len's averages this season I'd say 12 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds.

I truly don't understand your post.

1) Len never played "long stretches" for Phoenix to seem invisible. He played a few min a night, if ever.

2) He picked up fights in several games where he was in (Nick Young?)

3) Phoenix drafted him precisely because of his speed in transition. Check it out on minute 3:00 on his scouting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbn5U7aI2Ng#t=196

He absolutely did have stretches where he disappeared, even in his limited minutes he played last year. Multiple games with stat lines like 11 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 point... 7 minutes, 2 points, 0 rebounds... ect ect ect. Those kind of stat lines don't happen with "hustle" guys. Len has a motor problem, and I am not the first person to notice this. It was one of the knocks on him pre-draft and it showed last year.

As for his speed in transition, watching him actually run on a few plays in college does nothing to counter how obviously slow he was in transition last season for the Suns. He was regularly the last player back on both ends. Some of that may have been the ankle and him not having his speed back, but he was slow, really really slow last year.

[Capper]

I'm expecting 6 points / 6 rebounds in limited play, around 12-14 mpg.

Those would be awesome per-minute stats. (18/18 per 36?!) If he puts up that kind of per-minute production he'll get a lot more minutes than 12-14, and probably make the All-Star team.

[Revived]

I'm expecting 6 points / 6 rebounds in limited play, around 12-14 mpg.

Those would be awesome per-minute stats. (18/18 per 36?!) If he puts up that kind of per-minute production he'll get a lot more minutes than 12-14, and probably make the All-Star team.

How often does any player ever match his projected per 36 mins even when given that playing time.

[jcsunsfan]

Not sure I would call Len a hustle guy. His MO in college and as a pro is that he goes looooong stretches where he seems invisible. His biggest impact as a defender was simply fouling people, opponents actually shot better with Len in the game than with him out of it.

He was really really bad as a rookie. Hopefully this season he will be better, but his improvement will probably come in baby steps. I also don't think he fits in with our offensive philosophy given how slow he is in transition, so unless he fixes that problem expect it to limit his minutes.

If I had to guess Len's averages this season I'd say 12 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds.

I truly don't understand your post.

1) Len never played "long stretches" for Phoenix to seem invisible. He played a few min a night, if ever.

2) He picked up fights in several games where he was in (Nick Young?)

3) Phoenix drafted him precisely because of his speed in transition. Check it out on minute 3:00 on his scouting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbn5U7aI2Ng#t=196

He absolutely did have stretches where he disappeared, even in his limited minutes he played last year. Multiple games with stat lines like 11 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 point... 7 minutes, 2 points, 0 rebounds... ect ect ect. Those kind of stat lines don't happen with "hustle" guys. Len has a motor problem, and I am not the first person to notice this. It was one of the knocks on him pre-draft and it showed last year.

As for his speed in transition, watching him actually run on a few plays in college does nothing to counter how obviously slow he was in transition last season for the Suns. He was regularly the last player back on both ends. Some of that may have been the ankle and him not having his speed back, but he was slow, really really slow last year.

6 pts and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. Are those "hustle stats" or no?

[phrazbit]

6 pts and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. Are those "hustle stats" or no?

If those are averages I would assume that said player is a monster defensive player. Which is different than a "hustle" player. As for Len's hustle... I'm not sure how it could even warrant a discussion. For a minute per minute basis he played he was probably the least active guy on our team. It reflected in many ways, our teams pace went down with him in the game, our scoring went down, our defense got worse, outside of fouling his statistical presence was frequently non-existent.

I cannot fathom how anyone views Len as a "hustle" player. He is very very far from it. Hopefully he can develop into a banger on the interior, but I dont think he will ever be the kind of guy who is scrapping for loose balls and beating people back in transition. He does not have either the body or the mentality for that kind of game.

[jcsunsfan]

Funny. I liked Lens hustle during the minutes I saw him. Very physical d inside.

Those were pj's first year stats with the Suns btw.

[drewsprocket]

Good topic. The question I think about Len isn't whether he is talented enough become a good center. It's more whether his body is able to play in the NBA Schedule. He's had to recover from the foot problem and then transition into a different scenario he's used to where your body is put through so much repetition and practice and then there's the games played itself. He's hardly been able to develop into consistent minutes. I'm glad he's stronger. And I'll take a hand/thumb injury over everything else. Hopefully he's focusing on his endurance and healing between workouts.

Development wise, as long as he gets minutes, he can learn to keep better track of the paint on D. I think he was just beginning to show that he can be effective on the offensive glass which is really encouraging. If all he does this season is become a better team defender and alter shots of opponents in addition to rebounding, I think I'm good.
Plumlee has shown that he can do well on offense in terms of moving without the ball around the paint as well as be a decent rebounder. The question for him is the same as Len; can he be a better defender in the paint. Granted he doesn't have the potential as a rim protector but so long as he doesn't leave his man all the time in the paint he can stay out on the floor longer.

[Capper]

I'm expecting 6 points / 6 rebounds in limited play, around 12-14 mpg.

Those would be awesome per-minute stats. (18/18 per 36?!) If he puts up that kind of per-minute production he'll get a lot more minutes than 12-14, and probably make the All-Star team.

How often does any player ever match his projected per 36 mins even when given that playing time.

Point is, those would be extraordinary numbers. Only three players in the league averaged at least 1.0 point+rebound per minute: DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love.

(OK, DeAndre Liggins and Dexter Pittman too, but they played a combined four minutes in three games.)

[BieberLUV]

so what are suns fans' expectation of him? is he part of the core or is it plumlee? because both are centers