FanPost

Lenzilla: A Monster for Phoenix Suns

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Len has had a rough road up to this point of his young NBA career. Many, myself included, were skeptical of his fifth overall selection. The injuries kept coming, and the doubt of him not being able to reach expectations grew. Quite frankly, Alex Len looked clumsy on the court last year, and he lacked a confidence around the rim that made his 7'1'' 255 pound frame highly ineffective. Len showed flashes of how game changing his length can be on the defensive end, and his offensive skill was occasionally put on display, but this didn't change my concerns.

Things are different this season though. Alex Len still didn't get a summer league and had a limited pre-season due to his twice broken pinky finger. This injury limited his game, in particularly offensive, early on in the season, but Alex Len has begun to morph and discover how to play with his size in the NBA.

The finger is healed, the ankles appear to be perfectly fine, and Alex Len is playing like a monster.

Amidst the 6 game losing steak that depleted playoff hopes, Len was inserted in the starting line-up over the underwhelming Miles Plumlee. The Suns are 5-1 since Len's arrival and have won 5 straight games, including big wins at Washington and against Dallas. Alex Len performed very well in both signature-type wins, and his production is going off the expectations chart.

6 starts, though a small sample size, have been enough of Alex Len for me to get giggly excited.

He has went head to head with Tyson Chandler, Marcin Gortat, and Al Jefferson. He has also went up against Zaza Pachulia, Cole Aldrich, and Reggie Evans. This blend of very low and higher-end names makes this six game sample balanced.

Here are the numbers:

MPG: 22.3

PTS: 9.2

REB: 7.3

BLK: 2.8

PF: 3.8

FG%: 55%

FT%: 61%

At a glance, the only number that is eye popping is the 2.8 blocks. Then you look at the mere 22 minutes per start, and all of the numbers look attractive. You hate to see the free throw percentage at 61% (@ 72% for season), but his 55% from the field is up slightly from the season average.

His per 36 minute numbers are what really make me pause.

MPG: 36***

PTS: 14.8

REB: 11.8

BLK: 4.5***

PF: 6.1

Putting up these types of numbers at age 21 is highly encouraging for the Sun's future. 4.5 blocks per 36? Unreal.

The 6.1 fouls is an issue, so maybe Len won't have the opportunity to play 36 minutes in a game very often, but these will decrease as he learns to pick his spots defensively. Keeping Len's minutes in the mid to high 20s is ideal to maintain caution with his ankles. Len has never had to play an entire 82 game schedule, and Len will face Plumlee's 2013-14 stamina reality if he plays too many minutes from games 32-82.

Per 36 minutes on the season, Len is averaging 11.3 PTS, 9.9 REB, and 2.4 BLK. Maybe Len is closer to an 11,10, and 2.5 guy, than a 15, 12, and 4.5 guy, but I would argue his lack of summer preparation and shortened pre-season likely negatively effected his early season production. Now hitting his stride, his numbers will continue to trend up.

We are now 31 games into the season and his limited minutes look to have Len fresh and healthy every night. As his tenure with the starting lineups grows, his comfort with Goran and Bledsoe will continue to provide him open dunks and offensive rebounds off of drives.

Alex Len already has 30 dunks this season, accounting for 25% of his field goal attempts. Last season he only dunked the ball 10 times, for 14% of his attempts.

His 30 dunks have him tied at 19th in the league with Lebron James, Tobias Harris, and Kenneth Faried.

Everyone ahead of Len on the dunk-list has played significantly more minutes except for Rudy Gobert (37 dunks).

As of late, as I am sure you have noticed, Len has been dunking with more ferociousness and power than I have ever seen. Opportunities last season that would be feeble lay-up attempts have turned into easy dunks, and Len's comfort and continued health will further increase his offensive game. His increasing volume of dunks speak to his ankle health.

In Len's six starts, he is a net +26 plus/minus on the court, and his length and shot altering are blatantly apparent on the defensive end. Len's block percentage is at a healthy 5.1% this season, and over the last 6 games, I would guess is well into the 7-8% range (think Anthony Davis, 6.4%, 3 blocks per 36).

In fact, no one has blocked more shots in their last six games than Len besides Davis. However, Davis played in 83 more minutes to record 4 more blocks than Len. Len blocks a shot every 7.8 minutes, where Davis is only blocking one shot per 9.8 minutes. That is beyond impressive, and Len is quickly trying to force himself into the conversation as one of the league's best shot blockers before we have blinked.

In addition to the blocking heroics Alex has also shown the ability to hit the mid-range from about 16-18 feet. If he can fully integrate this shot into his offensive repertoire, Len can potentially be a star in this league. He is showing the athleticism and fluid stroke that Ryan McDonough envisioned when he drafted him fifth overall last year. His turn-around in your face jumper has surfaced with success on several occasions, and his offensive rebounding is a breath of fresh air for this Suns offense.

If Alex Len continues to average 3 blocks a start in only 23-27 minutes per game, how long will it take before the rest of the league takes notice? How long will it take for them to know Phoenix has has had its very own monster lurking in the shadows.

Lenzilla is here.

(all statistics from basketball-reference.com and ESPN.com)