NBA: Biggest X-factor for all 30 teams in the 2019-20 season
Atlanta Hawks: Alex Len
Alex Len was brought onto the Atlanta Hawks last summer following five disappointing seasons with the Phoenix Suns.
A former No. 5 overall pick back in 2013, he had shown flashes of becoming an impactful interior presence, but not enough to warrant an extended stay in the desert.
The Hawks have done a great job so far at developing young talent, and Len was no exception. Plenty assumed he had little to give anymore, but he posted a career-high 11.1 points to go along with 5.5 rebounds in just 20.1 minutes a night.
Those with a physique similar to his 7’1” 250-pound frame tend to sift out of the league due to their inability to adapt to modern times.
Once strictly viewed as a low-post presence, Len extended his range out beyond the arc where he ranked fourth among centers with at least 2.5 attempts per game having shot 36.3 percent.
I spoke with Alex Len today who told me if he started his career with a team like Atlanta instead of Phoenix, his career would have turned out differently.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) August 9, 2019
“I would have been way ahead of where I’m at right now, like that’s not even crazy to say." https://t.co/oFr6JVnL9C
John Collins is a star in the making, but he lacks the size to combat the physicality that still comes with operating in the middle. Len can take a beating and has the frame to set some bruising screens to free up his sweet-shooting backcourt in Trae Young and Kevin Huerter.
With Dewayne Dedmon now a member of the Sacramento Kings, the door is open for Len to assume the center position full-time.
He still needs work in other facets, but a continuous uptick in his 3-point shot will do wonders for an offense built around a diminutive point guard who needs all the space he can get.