Len making late-season push to join Kings playoff rotation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Kings are less than two weeks away from their first playoff game in 17 years, but coach Mike Brown still is tinkering with his rotation.
The backup center position behind double-double machine Domantas Sabonis has been the team’s biggest question mark all season. It was labeled as a position of need at the trade deadline, but president of basketball operations Monte McNair didn’t meet a favorable deal.
Throughout the Kings’ storybook season, Brown hasn’t been shy about mixing things up behind Sabonis. Chimezie Metu and Richaun Holmes have seen plenty of opportunities. Neemias Queta, a G League All-Star, appeared in four games in mid-December but hasn’t sniffed the floor since. He won’t be eligible for the postseason as a two-way player.
Lately, when Sabonis checks out of the game, Brown has been calling the name of veteran center Alex Len.
Len appeared in 18 of the Kings’ first 74 games this season, playing double-digit minutes just once in a 113-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 27. But he has been Brown’s preferred choice over the last four games, averaging 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 12.3 minutes per contest.
“I think he’s been really good for us on both sides of the ball,” Kings rookie Keegan Murray said Sunday night. “Just being able to rebound, block shots, defend the basket — it’s been really key for us these last couple games.”
He had the best game of the season Sunday night in Sacramento’s disappointing 142-134 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. In 13 minutes, Len logged six points, seven rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Four of those seven boards came on the offensive glass and resulted in seven second-chance points — four of which were filed under Len’s name in the box score.
“First thing that jumps off the bat is his size,” Brown said of Len before the Kings’ loss to the Spurs on Sunday night. “And he uses it well. … It’s extremely impactful. It’s impactful when he’s around the rim and he’s rebounding. For as big as he is, he’s got really good feet. He gets up and down the floor fairly well.”
Len, who stands 7 feet tall and weighs 250 pounds, gives the Kings more size in the frontcourt than his fellow backup bigs Metu (6-foot-9, 225 pounds) and Holmes (6-foot-10, 235 pounds).
He gives the Kings unforeseen rim protection with six blocks over the last four games. It’s a trait the Kings need in the playoffs if they match up against Western Conference teams known for size, like the Memphis Grizzlies or Minnesota Timberwolves.
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But it’s not just size Len offers the Kings. He has looked surprisingly graceful roaming the floor over the last week.
“He’s probably our best screen setter in pick-and-roll situations,” Brown said Sunday. “He gets his feet set, doesn’t move, his base is solid. And then he gets out of the screen really quick in terms of getting a paint touch by putting pressure on the rim, trying to dive to the rim.”
Len is no Sabonis. (Who is?) He can’t match Metu’s athleticism or Holmes’ offensive versatility. But he does offer Brown another option on his bench not seen anywhere else on the roster. Look for his number to be called in a small playoff role.
“To be able to throw him out there and take a really good look at him this point of the year has been good for us,” Brown said. “It’s definitely helped him with his confidence, and the team with its confidence in him, too.”