Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Alex Len
The massive Luka Doncic trade on Feb. 1 created a massive hole at the center position for the Los Angeles Lakers, as it sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers were already thin at that spot outside of Davis, and after the deal was made, they badly needed help there.
They agreed to send rookie Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round draft pick and a future first-round pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, a promising young center. But that trade was rescinded a few days later when Williams failed his physical.
On Feb. 11, the Lakers signed veteran big man Alex Len from the buyout market in an attempt to plug their hole at the center position. Not a whole lot was expected from him, but they ended up getting even less from him.
Alex Len's season stats
In 10 games with the Lakers, Len averaged 2.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.3 blocks in 12.2 minutes a game. Overall, he had averages of 1.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 blocks in 8.3 minutes a game for the season.
Overall analysis
When the Lakers signed Len, there was some hope that he could at least be an innings-eater and be somewhat serviceable for about 15 minutes or so a game. In the past, the 31-year-old had been the type of player who could provide solid rebounding and defense for roughly 20 minutes a game while finishing strong near the rim. But his abilities had significantly diminished over the last few years.
In his first game with Los Angeles, he played 22 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds while adding four points, two assists and one block. But from that point on, his playing time was sporadic, and there were many games during which he never got off the bench.
Defensively, he just didn't cut it, and he wasn't the type of rim-runner or lob threat L.A. needed offensively.
In the team's five-game loss in the NBA playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Len appeared in two games for a grand total of three minutes and 40 seconds. During that time, he grabbed four rebounds but made no other statistical contributions.
Len's contract situation
Since Len was only signed for the remainder of the season, he will become a free agent this summer. It is hard to imagine the Lakers bringing him back, especially given how rapidly he fell out of head coach JJ Redick's rotation. In fact, it could be argued he was never in that rotation to begin with.
Overall season grade: D-minus
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