When Alex Len watched the NBA playoffs last season, he saw Celtics’ center Aron Baynes taking 3-point shots. He watched how those 3-pointers made a difference and realized it was an element of his game he wanted to add.
Len signed a two-year contract with the Hawks in August after five seasons with the Phoenix Suns. He and coach Lloyd Pierce both had a vision to expand his game into 3-point shooting to grow and stay relevant in the league.
With the Suns, Len took only 25 3-point attempts and made six. Len has attempted 179 3-pointers this season and made 64.
“He’s a 7-footer that has been a traditional big, and now he’s a 7-footer that shoots 3’s, and a 7-footer that hit a game-tying three (against the Bucks on March 31),” Pierce said. “That’s now part of his game, and so I think the role for us is he has given us an identity. He and Dewayne (Dedmon) have given us an identity where we can put five guys on the floor that are all capable shooters, and it makes us harder to guard as a result of that.”
He previously just played the role as a traditional big at center. While he stills holds that role with the Hawks — playing defense, setting screens and rolling to the rim — he also uses his ability to shoot the 3-pointer when the opportunities rise.
He made at least three 3-pointers in three consecutive games heading into the matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, which was the longest streak of his career. He made two shots from behind the arc against the 76ers and scored 11 points.
“(Pierce) said it’s going to be a moment in this season where you are not going to be making them, but just know that I trust you and keep working and keep shooting them,” Len said. “And it was, I had a down in this season, but I stuck with it and kept shooting and it’s finally paying off.”
Len always had the dream to play in the NBA, but being from Antratsit, Ukraine, he didn’t know if that dream would become a reality. He played for Dnipro, the Ukrainian professional basketball club, for a year before he was recruited to the University of Maryland.
The process of recruiting was slightly different for Len. An assistant coach reached out to him over Facebook, but Len didn’t speak English at the time. He had someone translate the message, and he and the coach talked back and forth. He played for Maryland from 2011-13.
“I think it was my freshman year a lot of guys that I played against, like (North Carolina) players, that I knew I was better than, they got drafted and I was like, ‘Oh snap, I definitely got a shot at it,’” Len said. “And it motivated me to work even harder. That summer I was in the gym twice a day putting in extra work and was like, ‘I can make it.’”
When Len thinks back to the night he was drafted fifth overall by the Suns in 2013 and shook NBA commissioner David Stern’s hand, he said it was a surreal moment, the fulfillment of a dream. Now with the Hawks, he continues to work to improve his game.
His strengths at center do not go unnoticed by his teammates. Taurean Prince said Len brings a type of toughness to their game, and his ability to set screens contributes to the success of the guards. John Collins said having a fifth man that can space helps them space out the floor.
“His big thing is being able to protect,” Collins said. “He’s been a strong force down in the paint, and I feel like he does a good job of trying to battle with some of the bigger guys in the league, which is tough to do.”
Len sees a handful of positives from his first season with the Hawks as they wrap up with three more games. He is averaging 10.7 points per game and 5.4 rebounds, with his 3-point percentage at 35.4 percent.
He also has areas of his game he wants to focus on in the offseason — 3-point shooting, ballhandling skills and passing ability — and looks forward to the chance improve those areas.
“Now as he goes into the offseason, he knows how he can be effective here, and he’s going to try and find ways to expand it more,” Pierce said.
