Alex Len may be injured, but his stock is certainly not tumbling before this year’s NBA Draft. Despite suffering from a stress fracture in his left ankle, the 19-year-old center is one of the rising prospects ahead of this year’s draft due to his size, build and ceiling.
Standing at 7-foot-1 and weighing in at 255 lbs., Len fits the profile of an NBA center. He still has a ways to go in terms of a polished offensive attack, but already has a strong foundation of fundamental skills that accent his potential. According to Draft Express, 41 percent of Len’s offense came with his back to the basket and he managed to show glimpses of his scoring ceiling throughout the season.
Len also knows how to play through pain. Unaware that he had a broken bone in his ankle, the sophomore center played the final two months of the college season with injury. He told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine last month that he thought the pain was due to a bone spur, not a fracture. So if the fracture didn’t affect his performance, why did Len choose to have surgery after the season?
I didn’t really have to do the surgery, but the doctors told me it’s going to help me in the long run so I decided to do it.
Len possesses good size and length that the Kings could certainly use. However, he’s not yet programmed to be the rim protector and interior defender that could potentially compliment DeMarcus Cousins on the frontline. Like most young players, Len still has some ways to go when it comes to defense.
Mike Schmitz, an assistant video coordinator for the D-League’s Bakersfield Jam and former contributor to TrueHoop Network affiliate Valley of the Suns, has been putting together video scouting reports of prospects for Draft Express the last two years. Get to know more about Len in Schmitz’s breakdown below.
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