On the surface, Alex Len had a decent debut with the Los Angeles Lakers based on his final stats line: 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 22 minutes.
But the 7-foot, 250-pound new Lakers center has struggled coming off what he described was a “couple of crazy days.”
Len initially planned to sign with the Indiana Pacers once he cleared waivers after the Washington Wizards released him following his trade from the Sacramento Kings.
But a golden opportunity to play with LeBron James and Luka Doncic opened up for him when the Lakers rescinded the Mark Williams trade due to a failed physical.
“It’s been a couple crazy days,” Len told reporters after the Lakers lost 131-119 to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, Feb. 12. “I was on my way to Indiana and then Rob [Pelinka] called me and kind of changed my mind and came here. Crazy few days, huh?
“I understand being with the Lakers is a great opportunity. I couldn’t pass up on it, just playing for a championship. When I heard [it was a possibility], I said I’m coming here.”
The Lakers waived injured center Christian Wood to create a roster spot to sign Len.
‘Crazy 24 Hours’ Preceded Disaster Lakers Debut
Len joined the Lakers late Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. So he did not have the benefit of a practice. He was not supposed to play starter’s minutes until a facial injury on Jaxson Hayes in the first half forced Lakers coach JJ Redick’s hand to turn to their newly-signed center.
“It was a crazy 24 hours just thinking you’re going one place and then coming over here and getting signed,” Len said. “[I] Came over here and played a game, just tried to stay in the moment and keep things simple.”
It was a disaster of a game for Len, who did not know any of the Lakers’ plays. As a result, he was a minus-9 on the floor during his 22-minute stint. He failed to provide rim protection that the Lakers were expecting to get.
The Jazz were 7-of-10 against Len’s defense inside the paint, according to NBA matchup tracking data. Utah’s frontcourt duo of Lauri Markkanen and John Collins feasted against his interior defense with a combined perfect 5-of-5 shooting.
Len had zero points and three rebounds before his final stats line was inflated by garbage time.
The 12-year veteran has been a third-string center for the last three seasons. He averaged 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in Sacramento this season before he was shipped as a throw-in in the Marcus Smart three-team trade among the Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and the Kings.
JJ Redick Gives Alex Len a Pass
Redick, however, gave Len a pass for getting thrown into the fire.
“I thought he was fine,” Redick said of Len after the loss that snapped their six-game winning streak. “I mean there’s been a lot of that this year when we just like had to put guys in tough spots. We’ve had to put our two-way guys in tough spots, we had to put Alex in a tough spot. He was fine.”
The Lakers signed Len in a desperate move to add size to their thin frontline. Hayes’ injury and with Dorian Finney-Smith sitting out the game due to knee soreness only exacerbated their precarious center situation.
Redick labeled Hayes’ injury as facial contusion after taking a hard hit to his face in the first quarter and never returned. Usually this type of injury does not require surgery unless there is a facial fracture that will come up in the MRI. If none, Hayes could be back in no time and might wear a mask or play without it.
Fortunately for the Lakers, the NBA All-Star break gives them a full week rest before they host the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 19, their first meeting since the rescinded trade between the two teams.
