The Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 experiment with Alex Len didn\u2019t go as planned, as they suffered a 131-119 defeat to the Utah Jazz, ending their six-game win streak.<\/p>\n
Len finished the game with 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in 22 minutes, but these stats don\u2019t fully capture the situation. His numbers were padded by garbage time in the Lakers’ blowout loss.<\/p>\n
With Jaxson Hayes exiting in the first quarter due to a facial injury, Len filled in at center but was ineffective, as the Lakers were outscored by nine points during his time on the floor. Len\u2019s 7-foot, 250-pound frame couldn\u2019t prevent the Jazz frontcourt from attacking the rim.<\/p>\n
NBA tracking data showed the Jazz made 7-of-10 attempts against Len\u2019s interior defense, with Utah\u2019s Lauri Markkanen and John Collins shooting a perfect 5-of-5 against him.<\/p>\n
Jovan Buha of The Athletic had anticipated issues with Len before the Lakers made the signing official.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Lakers end up with Alex Len, I would not feel comfortable starting him if Jaxson Hayes goes down,\u201d Buha said on his podcast \u201cBuha\u2019s Block\u201d on Feb. 11. \u201cI think Len is a fringe roster player at best, so I\u2019m not high on the move. The Lakers could likely find a better big.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the trade deadline passing and the market for centers dwindling, the Lakers opted for Len.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand the optics of wanting to add a big, but I don\u2019t think Len is the guy,\u201d Buha said. \u201cHe\u2019s pretty much washed at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three Centers the Lakers Should Keep an Eye On The Lakers still have the option to waive another player to sign a center.<\/p>\n
Buha suggested three centers who could be potential buyout candidates for the Lakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for what\u2019s next, I think the Lakers should continue monitoring the center market for players like Larry Nance Jr., Kelly Olynyk, or Chris Boucher if they become available,\u201d Buha said. \u201cThey should waive another player and sign one of those big men.\u201d<\/p>\n
John Hollinger of The Athletic noted that the Atlanta Hawks may want to keep Nance due to his valuable Bird rights.<\/p>\n
Olynyk, who has yet to play for the Pelicans after being included in the Brandon Ingram trade, had been a solid reserve for Toronto, averaging 15.6 minutes per game before the trade.<\/p>\n
Boucher, whose expiring contract attracted trade interest, remained with the Raptors after the Feb. 6 deadline. Jake Fischer reported on \u201cThe Stein Line\u201d that there have been no talks about a Boucher buyout.<\/p>\n
The Lakers may have to stick with Len and hope Hayes stays healthy for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n
JJ Redick Defends Alex Len for Being in a \u2018Difficult Position\u2019 The crushing loss in Utah highlighted the Lakers’ fragile playoff hopes, despite pairing LeBron James and Luka Doncic with their limited center rotation.<\/p>\n
With Hayes sidelined, Len was called upon but struggled to meet the challenge.<\/p>\n
However, Lakers coach JJ Redick gave Len some leeway, acknowledging that Len was placed in a tough spot without the benefit of practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he was fine,\u201d Redick said after the loss that ended their six-game winning streak. \u201cThis season has been filled with situations where we’ve had to put players in tough spots. We\u2019ve had to put our two-way guys in difficult situations, and we had to do the same with Alex. He was fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Len admitted he was unfamiliar with the Lakers\u2019 plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a crazy 24 hours,\u201d Len said. \u201cI thought I was going somewhere else, then got signed here. Came over, played a game, and just tried to stay in the moment and keep things simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 experiment with Alex Len didn\u2019t go as planned, as they suffered a 131-119 defeat to the Utah Jazz, ending their six-game win streak. Len finished the game with 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in 22 minutes, but these stats don\u2019t fully capture the situation. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2586],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers"],"yoast_head":"\n