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Phoenix Suns: Can Alex Len Turn Into The Next Marc Gasol?

By Michael Dunlap

Alex Len is not afraid to try his hand against the league's best. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Len is not afraid to try his hand against the league's best. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alex Len was drafted by the Phoenix Suns No. 5 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft as a project. The young 20-year-old from the Ukraine had barely gotten his feet wet at the University of Maryland, but now that the project is coming along, we’re starting to see what he can potentially become — the next Marc Gasol.

Before anyone gets out of sorts and calls the idea outlandish, remember that Gasol didn’t enter the NBA until he was 24, didn’t make his first All-Star appearance until he was 27, has never averaged a double-double and has made just one All-Defensive team (2nd, in 2012-13).

MARC GASOL’S STRENGTHS

With that said, Gasol has turned into a very important cog in what has been one of the league’s best defenses in the last five years. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012-13 and has placed in the top-10 in defensive box plus/minus for five straight seasons.

In addition to being a super defender, he’s also got remarkable touch for a 7-foot-1, 265-pound player. His career field goal percentage of .509 doesn’t tell the whole story — those attempts come from all over inside the perimeter. In fact, Gasol took more shots from 3-to-10 feet (28.3 percent) and 16 feet to the 3-point line (24.2 percent) than he did inside three feet (23.9 percent). He didn’t shoot worse than 40 percent from any of those spots last year:

Marc Gasol's 2014-15 shot chart stands up to any big man.
Marc Gasol’s 2014-15 shot chart stands up to any big man. /

While the superior defense and very good range is enough to separate Gasol from most centers in the league, one thing really makes him standout — his passing skill. Gasol hasn’t averaged less than 3.1 assists per game since 2011-12 and set a career-high in 2014-15 with a 19.7 assist percentage. Only Joakim Noah averaged more assists (4.7) last season from the center spot.

ALEX LEN’S STRENGTHS

At just 22 years old, Len has excellent size (7-foot-1, 255 pounds) and is still learning how to use it. Last season was Len’s second in terms of when he was drafted, but it was his first season where he got quality playing time.

During his 22 minutes per game, he showed that he can be an above-average rebounder (10.8 per-36 minutes), a quality shooter (.507 FG) and an above-average shot-blocker (2.5 per-36 minutes). Len’s 5.3 block percentage placed him fifth in the entire league. Throughout the season, Len continued to build his offensive arsenal and showed promise both in the low post and shooting jumpers from the elbow.

Now that he’s got Tyson Chandler on the team (a former Defensive Player of the Year himself), he’s been given a great mentor to teach him the defensive side of things. As if that mentor isn’t good enough, Len spent three days training with legendary San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan this offseason. Here’s what Len had to say to The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro about Duncan:

"“He was one of the nice players I’ve ever met in my life. He is one of the most humble superstars you’ll ever meet. He’s like Tyson (Chandler). He’s always happy to answer any question. He genuinely wants to help you.He helped me a lot too with my patience, catching the ball, where you look, what action, what guys you’re looking for in cuts, reading defense.”"

So far this preseason, that mentoring appears to be paying off. Len is averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 19.6 minutes, while shooting 60 percent from the field and 90 percent from the foul line.

PROJECTING LEN

Sep 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (left) and center Alex Len pose for a portrait during media day at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler (left) and center Alex Len pose for a portrait during media day at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

As is usually the case, comparing a 22-year-old to a 30-year-old involves a lot of projection. Len could probably hold his own in terms of rebounding and shot-blocking right now, but he trails in shooting, passing (by a wide margin) and defensive instincts.

Len won’t be the starter this season, meaning his raw numbers aren’t likely to pop off the screen. Basketball-Reference.com projects Len to average 10.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per-36 minutes, which seems reasonable.

One huge benefit to Len coming off the bench is that he’ll be able to hone his craft against backups, instilling confidence for when Chandler moves on and Len becomes the starter full-time.

Will we ever see the offense run through Len at the elbow, where he’ll control the game with his laser-like vision and passing precision? Probably not, but all signs point towards Len improving in every other facet of the offensive game.

With experience and great mentors, Len has the tools to become every bit as good of a defender as Gasol. He’ll need to put in serious work and has a lot of catching up to do in terms of offensive polish — and I don’t see the elite passing skill emerging — but Len can definitely become a solid offensive option with his combination of low-post finesse moves and mid-range jumpers.

The next Marc Gasol? I don’t think I’m ready to go that far…just yet.

Next: The 30 Best Centers of All-Time

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