Does Alex Len have any upside?

[JayBirdHawk]

 

Quote

Alex Len’s agent, Michael Lelchitski, called him Friday and notified him that ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Hawks and Detroit Pistons were engaged in serious trade talks centering around Andre Drummond. The gist of the conversation was for Len to just be alert and to control what he can control.

But immediately Len’s mind started to wander into questioning his positioning on the team and if he still was wanted. Just days prior to the phone call from Lelchitski, Len had a conversation with head coach Lloyd Pierce about Len’s role off the bench and how well he has played as of late. Len is clearly the best center on the Hawks’ roster, but Pierce has said that he prefers him coming off the bench because of his ability to match the rhythm of the game better than Damian Jones and Bruno Fernando.......

....Since being moved to the bench, Len’s per-36 averages have skyrocketed. He’s averaging 20 points and shooting 60 percent from the floor, 38 percent from 3-point range, and he has a minus-3.9 net rating, which is the best mark on the team during that stretch.

“At this point, if I finish games, I’m happy with it,” Len said after Monday’s shootaround. “A lot of the times, it’s not even about who starts games; it’s about who finishes them. You can start games, but the best players are always going to close out games. When I’m finishing games, I take pride in that because it makes me feel good, and it makes me want to work even harder. 

Len is also playing some of the best defense he has played in his career. Pierce challenged Len to be more aggressive on that end of the floor or he wouldn’t play. Pierce wants Len to make plays on the ball rather than sitting back. Len led the Hawks in the game against Indiana on Saturday with 21 contested shots. The Hawks are still struggling to defend the rim, but Len has been the best option and has been the anchor of the defense.

......Len could find himself involved in any deal the Hawks do make as one of the few expiring contracts on the roster who provides on-court value.

“I would never want to get traded because I love this team, and I want to be here,” Len said. “The NBA is a business, though, and you just have to control what you can control. When I (heard the Drummond talks), I just said that all I can control is what I do on the court. All I can do is continue to work and focus on that.

“I do think I bring value off the bench, even if they bring in another great big. I can still come off the bench and do what I do. For the future, I think I’m a pretty good fit with the young guys. At the same time, it’s up to the team to decide what they want to do. But I love this coaching staff. I love these players. I see myself being here for a while, even if my role is to come off the bench. Whatever it is, I want to be here.”

 

[macdaddy]

I like Len and think we need to consider that we will always need a good backup C and he's a really good one.  The fact that he plays well with Trae and seems to be a really good locker room guy helps too. 

[AHF]

He is a very solid backup 5.  I do like the threat of sitting him if he doesn't improve on offense.

"Alex, you need to pick it up on D or I'll be forced to put you on the bench.  Our defense can't afford that kind of play." 

Wouldn't the first thought that pops into your head be:  "Ummm....so you going to play Damian Jones for his defense?   Or maybe give those minutes to defensive giant, Jabari Parker?  Oooh, I know.  Vince Carter.  Defensive C extraordinaire!" 

[HawkItus]

1 rebound...UNO.  

[Spud2nique]

In the last paragraph he says he thinks he still fits here...”even if they bring in another great big”.... ...so the word “another” indicates there was a first....

Is Alex Len great? Is that what he’s trying to tell us? 
 

SHHHHHHOOOOOWWWWWW MEEEEEEEEEEE ....

the $...

[macdaddy]

5 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

In the last paragraph he says he thinks he still fits here...”even if they bring in another great big”.... ...so the word “another” indicates there was a first....

Is Alex Len great? Is that what he’s trying to tell us? 
 

SHHHHHHOOOOOWWWWWW MEEEEEEEEEEE ....

the $...

The fact that he's coming off the bench now and is ok with bringing in a great big shows that he understands and is ok with being the backup.

[Spud2nique]

1 minute ago, macdaddy said:

The fact that he's coming off the bench now and is ok with bringing in a great big shows that he understands and is ok with being the backup.

No I get that...but he himself isn’t great  

[macdaddy]

22 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

No I get that...but he himself isn’t great  

Yeah but do you want a guy to do say "I'm a decent player"?  Just ok is not ok.  

[AHF]

40 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

Yeah but do you want a guy to do say "I'm a decent player"?  Just ok is not ok.  

Championship teams have ok guys too.  Thinks of arguably the best team in NBA history with those Bulls and you'll remember Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, etc. who were even starters sometimes.  If he wasn't our best center, being what he is wouldn't be much of a problem.

[Thomas]

19 hours ago, macdaddy said:

Yeah but do you want a guy to do say "I'm a decent player"?  Just ok is not ok.  

Absolutely my favorite commercial at the moment. And it is not even Geico stuff, go figure. AT&T getting clever.

[Spud2nique]

4 hours ago, macdaddy said:

Yeah but do you want a guy to do say "I'm a decent player"?  Just ok is not ok.  

No I want the guy to call himself great if he’s great. If he’s not, let’s skip that whole quote. He’s mediocre at best. The rim rejects him more than players. Having said that, he’s be a good backup probably.

[macdaddy]

Eh.  I'd be more worried if he had said "We really need a get a great center in here".  

[Thomas]

Tonight against the Rockets is probably the consistent best that Alex can be for us. Backup center who can earn a double double with playing about half of the game minutes. He can help us get some boards which is a serious weakness for us to begin with and it has helped recently in being close and taking a couple of games. Am expecting/hoping for much more of the same with good health.  

[Atlantaholic]

Len is a top tier backup C. We just need to bring in the top tier starting center to go along with him.