Atlanta Hawks: 3 reasons Alex Len is a good addition

3. He’ll grab rebounds and protect the rim

Among their other shortcomings, the Hawks were one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA last season, ranking 25th in total rebounds, 23rd in defensive rebounds and 22nd in offensive rebounds per game. Only three players averaged more than five boards per game and no one brought in more than 7.9 a night. They weren’t much better defensively, ranking 21st in points allowed per 100 possessions. Suffice it to say the Hawks need help in both areas.

With Len now on the roster, Atlanta can start to turn those numbers around. The 7’1″ center averaged 7.5 rebounds per game while playing barely over 20 minutes per contest for the Suns last year. Those totals would have ranked him second on the Hawks. He would’ve led the team in offensive rebounds as well. Len also averaged 13.4 rebounds per 36 minutes, which also would have been tops on the Hawks in 2017-18.

Len was also an effective rim protector; opponents shot 60.7 percent against him while inside the restricted area, the same percentage as reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and a lower rate than defensive stalwarts DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond. I’m not saying that Len is superior to those players, but it shows that in the right situations, Len can impact the game on defense.

He won’t turn the Hawks into a top rebounding team nor will he transform them into a defensive juggernaut, but his size and length should help them improve in both of those areas this coming season.