Phoenix Suns: Examining The Youngsters 2 Weeks Into 2016-17 Season

Contract Year Alex Len

Alex Len is entering a pivotal year, not only because he’s rarely shown signs of being worthy of a top-5 pick back in 2013, but because he didn’t earn a contract extension before the October deadline and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

As a rookie, injuries held him back. In his second season, it was more injuries, Miles Plumlee‘s unexpected emergence and a lack of experience that limited him. Last year, it was the arrival of Tyson Chandler. This season, there’s a staggering, unspoken amount of pressure on Len to prove himself as Chandler’s successor and the Suns’ long-term solution at center.

So far in 2016-17, the results have been mixed. He’s only shooting 42.9 percent from the field — a dismal percentage for a seven-footer. His midrange jumper has been lacking, his running hook through the lane rarely finds its target despite being unblockable, and his impact off the bench has been up and down in limited minutes.

However, it’s too soon to give up on the 23-year-old center just yet. In their first win of the season, Len was the stabilizing force for the Suns in the first half, going to work against Meyers Leonard all night long. He finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the win.

“For me, the story of this game was Alex,” P.J. Tucker said of a game that featured an Eric Bledsoe buzzer-beater in overtime. “When he’s aggressive like that one-on-one in the paint, I don’t think anybody — especially any backups — can stop him in the league.”

Watson has continuously preached simplifying the game to Len, asking him to focus on the basics: going up strong, finishing, rebounding and protecting the rim.

In his finest game of the season against the Pistons on Wednesday, Len notched his first double-double of the 2016-17 campaign with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He went toe-to-toe with Andre Drummond all game, playing physical basketball and outplaying the Pistons behemoth despite his 18 points and 14 boards.

“He’s also 23,” Watson reminded everyone. “Remember how strong we were at 23, we weren’t strong enough. Coming into this league, the center position is a man’s game. You get hit, you get elbowed, you get pushed, all game.”

Len’s offense still leaves something to be desired, but in the last four games, he has hauled in 10, 11, nine and 14 rebounds — despite only starting in two of those games and playing more than 20 minutes in only one of them.

Tyson Chandler’s monster start to the season (at least from a rebounding perspective, at 13.3 boards per game) has limited Len’s minutes, but with the team giving in to the youth movement, this is Len’s best opportunity to prove himself as a long-term starter. Now he’s just got to continue improving on his 8.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 21.1 minutes per game.