Should The Phoenix Suns Shut Alex Len Down?
That “injury-prone” tag is going to be hard for Alex Len to shed based on his first two seasons in the league.
After playing in only 42 games for the Phoenix Suns as a rookie because of offseason ankle surgeries and a knee injury, Len’s second season in the league has been a lot better…when he’s actually 100 percent healthy, that is. Though he’s only missed six of Phoenix’s 75 games so far this season, Len has dealt with a broken pinkie, ankle sprains and now, a broken nose.
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According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, Len will be sidelined for a week as he undergoes surgery on his nasal bone today. Len sustained the injury in Phoenix’s last game in Portland, catching an inadvertent elbow in the face from Chris Kaman as the two battled for a rebound.
The time Len was in Portland before that, he sustained an ankle sprain on a foul from Robin Lopez. Apparently Len and Rip City don’t get along, although an injury-prone seven-footer not getting along with the city of Portland is nothing new (as any Blazers fan would tell you).
Len will wear a fitted mask upon returning…but is it even worth it to have him suit up again at that point?
One week from today, the Suns will only have three games left in the season: at New Orleans, at San Antonio and vs. the Los Angeles Clippers at home. Given Len’s unlucky propensity for injury, is there any point in putting extra mileage on those ankles in a couple of meaningless games?
Just because the playoff hunt is over doesn’t mean the Suns should fold up shop and quit. They still have reasons to play and they still have expectations for the rest of the season. One of the biggest expectations is getting the young guys as much playing time and experience as possible so they can continue to develop.
At 21 years old, Alex Len technically fits in with that category alongside T.J. Warren and Archie Goodwin…except he really doesn’t. This season, we watched Len overtake Miles Plumlee for the starting center job, a job he’s held for 44 games. When he’s been on the floor, the Suns have been a better defensive unit and as a starter, Len has averaged 6.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Len’s potential as a shot blocker, rebounder, defensive anchor, finisher at the rim and stretch-five has been on display since head coach Jeff Hornacek started giving him more minutes. Hornacek has raved about his work ethic and his abilities at only 21 years old all season long. But it’s kind of concerning that he’s only averaging 24.2 minutes per game as a starter, isn’t it?
Injuries and foul trouble are the two things holding Len’s career back early on. With his nose on the mend, there’s not much point to testing the waters for the rest of the season. His ankles are good enough to play at the moment, but it wasn’t long ago that he was missing time because of them.
Why subject those ankles to more strain for games that don’t even matter? I want to see Len and this team’s young core grow together as much as anyone, but it’s not like missing three games is going to make a huge difference, especially since Len has been logging starter’s minutes for months now.
This isn’t a huge decision either way, but with Len missing a week because of that broken nose, the Suns might want to consider shutting him down and giving him a little extra time off to get that ailing body of his back to 100 percent.
By doing so, the Suns might also get some extended looks at backup center Brandan Wright, who will become a free agent this summer. Wright has performed in his limited time as a starter for the Suns this season, and the next few games will give the front office an opportunity to size him up for the offseason.
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