Alex Len
Position: C
Hgt: 7'1"
Wgt: 255
Age: 19
Projected Draft Number: #9 NBADraft.net/#6 Draftexpress.com
College: Maryland
College Stats 2012-13: 26.4min 11.9pts (.534FG% .125TPt% .686FT%) 7.8reb 1.0ast 0.2stl 2.1blk 1.6TO
Baja's Review: Len, originally from the Ukraine, is an interesting prospect. He's not someone that leaps to mind when I think of a player to put next to Cousins, but contrary to what you might hear, he's a much better athlete than advertized, or at least he was, until he suffered a stress fracture of his ankle, and opted for surgery to insure it healed properly. He runs the floor very well for a big man, and he is big at 7'1" with a huge wingspan. I saw him block several shots this year without ever leaving his feet. Physcially, he's a little on the thin side, but he has a large frame with wide shoulders that can easily support another 25 to 30 pounds of muscle. He blew me away in his first game of the season against Kentucky when he put up 23 pts, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. I came to watch Kentucky and was instead being amazed by Len. Unfortunately he didn't do that every game, but he did, in an up and down season continue to impress me from time to time. Bottom line is, he's a back to the basket center at present, that needs to add muscle to become more efficient at being a back to the basket center. He does have a little midrange shot, and his fourm looks fine, but its a work in progress. He only averaged a little over 8 shots a game despite being the most efficient scorer on the team. He had the misfortune to be surrounded by a group of undersized selfish teammates to which he was an afterthought on offense. Bear in mind, that if you draft Len, your drafting on his future potential. He's raw in many areas, turns the ball over too much, and gets in foul trouble to often. That said, I definitely see him as a starting center in the NBA. Its just going to take a little time. His most immediate impact will be on the defensive side of the ball where with his great length he should be able to protect the rim.
Capt's Review: There's not a lot to dislike about Len. He's a prototypical full-sized back-to-the-basket center. On offense he's comfortable in the post, establishing deep position and using a variety of moves to score. I don't think he has had a lot of success with his jumper (and to some extent, his free throws) to this point, but his shooting form is very good and repeatable so he ought to be just fine out to 12-15 feet in the near future. On top of the offense he brings quite solid post defense as well, and is capable of blocking shots both straight up and from the weak side. He is also a big-bodied rebounder, very good on the offensive end and about where he ought to be defensively (he does do a good job of boxing out). He's probably not an all-star, but he has the skill to be a fixture at a starting C slot for the next decade if he's healthy. The biggest problem with Len is that he just had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his ankle. I have no doubt he'll bounce back from this one, but that's a big red flag for a guy his size and any team that takes him is going to have to accept the greater-than-average risk that he might have injury-prone feet.
Mass's Review: In a draft that is full of big men who are either incredibly raw on the offensive end, or need to put on serious weight to have any impact on the defensive end, Alex Len is one of the few players who has the ability to be successful on both ends of the court relatively soon. He is a true NBA center with NBA center size, and that is the position he will play in the NBA. This season at Maryland he suffered from 'Greg Monroe' syndrome where he frequently got himself good position on the block without ever getting the ball. Like Monroe, he played college basketball with players who just didn't make him better. With that being said, I feel like Len is a better offensive player than his college numbers suggest. Others have mentioned the stress fracture he suffered in his left ankle as a cause for concern. Len chose to have surgery to make sure that the injury didn't linger, and as a player who doesn't rely on elite athleticism, I'm not worried about it. As a defender, I would say len is more of a Kendrick Perkins, Marc Gasol, Andrew Bogut 'lane stuffer' type than a true shot blocker, and I like his potential there quite a bit. Because of the stress facture Len will not be participating in any NBA pre draft workouts, which means he could be available when the Kings pick at #7.
Gilles' Review: Sophomore. Latest measurements are missing as he didn't participate in Combine. Len is listed at 7'1" with 255 weight and DX have his wingspan at 7'3.5" in their database. Good athlete for such a big guy (he is still filling out and should be expected to play around 270-280 in 3-4 years). Pretty polished offensively with good footwork, hands and versatile finishing (can make a hook, short jumper or bank a layup). Steadily improves from charity stripe (.686 FT% this season), so some kind of jumper is possible a few years down the road. Good positional and team defender, but likely to struggle against P&R. Big, long center.
Position: C
Hgt: 7'1"
Wgt: 255
Age: 19
Projected Draft Number: #9 NBADraft.net/#6 Draftexpress.com
College: Maryland
College Stats 2012-13: 26.4min 11.9pts (.534FG% .125TPt% .686FT%) 7.8reb 1.0ast 0.2stl 2.1blk 1.6TO
Baja's Review: Len, originally from the Ukraine, is an interesting prospect. He's not someone that leaps to mind when I think of a player to put next to Cousins, but contrary to what you might hear, he's a much better athlete than advertized, or at least he was, until he suffered a stress fracture of his ankle, and opted for surgery to insure it healed properly. He runs the floor very well for a big man, and he is big at 7'1" with a huge wingspan. I saw him block several shots this year without ever leaving his feet. Physcially, he's a little on the thin side, but he has a large frame with wide shoulders that can easily support another 25 to 30 pounds of muscle. He blew me away in his first game of the season against Kentucky when he put up 23 pts, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. I came to watch Kentucky and was instead being amazed by Len. Unfortunately he didn't do that every game, but he did, in an up and down season continue to impress me from time to time. Bottom line is, he's a back to the basket center at present, that needs to add muscle to become more efficient at being a back to the basket center. He does have a little midrange shot, and his fourm looks fine, but its a work in progress. He only averaged a little over 8 shots a game despite being the most efficient scorer on the team. He had the misfortune to be surrounded by a group of undersized selfish teammates to which he was an afterthought on offense. Bear in mind, that if you draft Len, your drafting on his future potential. He's raw in many areas, turns the ball over too much, and gets in foul trouble to often. That said, I definitely see him as a starting center in the NBA. Its just going to take a little time. His most immediate impact will be on the defensive side of the ball where with his great length he should be able to protect the rim.
Capt's Review: There's not a lot to dislike about Len. He's a prototypical full-sized back-to-the-basket center. On offense he's comfortable in the post, establishing deep position and using a variety of moves to score. I don't think he has had a lot of success with his jumper (and to some extent, his free throws) to this point, but his shooting form is very good and repeatable so he ought to be just fine out to 12-15 feet in the near future. On top of the offense he brings quite solid post defense as well, and is capable of blocking shots both straight up and from the weak side. He is also a big-bodied rebounder, very good on the offensive end and about where he ought to be defensively (he does do a good job of boxing out). He's probably not an all-star, but he has the skill to be a fixture at a starting C slot for the next decade if he's healthy. The biggest problem with Len is that he just had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his ankle. I have no doubt he'll bounce back from this one, but that's a big red flag for a guy his size and any team that takes him is going to have to accept the greater-than-average risk that he might have injury-prone feet.
Mass's Review: In a draft that is full of big men who are either incredibly raw on the offensive end, or need to put on serious weight to have any impact on the defensive end, Alex Len is one of the few players who has the ability to be successful on both ends of the court relatively soon. He is a true NBA center with NBA center size, and that is the position he will play in the NBA. This season at Maryland he suffered from 'Greg Monroe' syndrome where he frequently got himself good position on the block without ever getting the ball. Like Monroe, he played college basketball with players who just didn't make him better. With that being said, I feel like Len is a better offensive player than his college numbers suggest. Others have mentioned the stress fracture he suffered in his left ankle as a cause for concern. Len chose to have surgery to make sure that the injury didn't linger, and as a player who doesn't rely on elite athleticism, I'm not worried about it. As a defender, I would say len is more of a Kendrick Perkins, Marc Gasol, Andrew Bogut 'lane stuffer' type than a true shot blocker, and I like his potential there quite a bit. Because of the stress facture Len will not be participating in any NBA pre draft workouts, which means he could be available when the Kings pick at #7.
Gilles' Review: Sophomore. Latest measurements are missing as he didn't participate in Combine. Len is listed at 7'1" with 255 weight and DX have his wingspan at 7'3.5" in their database. Good athlete for such a big guy (he is still filling out and should be expected to play around 270-280 in 3-4 years). Pretty polished offensively with good footwork, hands and versatile finishing (can make a hook, short jumper or bank a layup). Steadily improves from charity stripe (.686 FT% this season), so some kind of jumper is possible a few years down the road. Good positional and team defender, but likely to struggle against P&R. Big, long center.
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