Adding Alex Len
Travis Schlenk proved he can make the big moves, but he showed he can make the savvy moves as well. When Dennis Schroder got traded, many weren’t talking about how the Hawks lost some of their frontcourt depth as well with Mike Muscala.
To say that Muscala was a key piece of their frontcourt rotation in 2017-18 might be a little of a stretch, but in the 53 games he played in he ate up 20 minutes per game and accumulated a 14.4 Player Efficiency Rating, just slightly below average.
To replace him though, the Hawks brought in center Alex Len on a two-year, $8.5 million contract. Len was a little underwhelming in his four years in Phoenix, but still represents an upgrade over Muscala, according to their respective Offensive Ratings.
| Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | ORtg | DRtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Len | 2017-18 | 24 | 69 | 1395 | .566 | 121 | 110 |
| Mike Muscala | 2017-18 | 26 | 53 | 1060 | .458 | 115 | 110 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/18/2018.
Len played more than Muscala last year, which is a good thing for the Hawks. He also out-produced Muscala in points, rebounds, assists and blocks per game and per 36 minutes. Len was a better shooter on 2-point fields goals too, edging out Muscala, 56.8 percent to 55.9 percent.
The Hawks may have another reclamation project, but he comes in a couple of years younger than Muscala, still has some budding potential and is a couple million dollars cheaper than Muscala was.
Grade: B