Miles Plumlee feels it when he tries to box out. Goran Dragic and the rest of the Suns guards see it when they drive to the rim.
We’re talking about the 7-foot-1 presence of Alex Len, who is just relieved that health has finally allowed him to play without restrictions.
His teammates have noticed. They see a different Len than the smaller, less assertive rookie version from a season ago. P.J. Tucker, who relishes competition at any level, tabbed the back-and-forth action between Len and Plumlee as the most note-worthy battle early on.
“I like Alex,” Tucker said. “Alex has just been going at it with Miles and Shav[lik Randolph] and all our bigs. He’s been really competitive and getting after it.”
Plumlee, who has improved in his own right after a productive offseason, appreciates Len’s progress. He had his own rookie struggles that resulted in just 55 total minutes in 2012-13. The following summer gave him the chance to improve in the most key areas, enabling him to become an impact player far sooner than many predicted.
He says the same thing is happening with Len, who didn’t allow a broken finger to deter offseason conditioning. The second-year big man now weighs in at 263 pounds.
“We’ve been playing every day in pickup. [Len] looked great. He’s definitely bulked up, a lot stronger. I think it’s the same thing that happened to me. He’s just a little more decisive.”
— Miles Plumlee
The extra muscle mass is evenly distributed. Core, chest and legs are all significantly stronger, which better enables him to bang down low without causing too much stress on the lower bones. Speaking of which, Len’s feet are completely healed, something easily noticeable when he rises for swift and powerful finishes during half-court set drills.
Plumlee saw Len’s dramatic improvement up close even before training camp commenced.
“We’ve been playing every day in pickup,” he said. “[Len] looked great. He’s definitely bulked up, a lot stronger. I think it’s the same thing that happened to me. He’s just a little more decisive.”
Len’s decisions are preceded by patience. He poured over tape of himself – good and bad – and saw one thing jump out above everything else: he was too eager. After coming back from injuries in the middle of last season, he was desperate to make an impact, to prove he had been worth waiting for long after being drafted fifth overall.
So he rushed his shots, tried to rebound without establishing position, and committed unnecessary fouls.
Much as Plumlee did last summer, Len spent the offseason in informal big man school run by assistant coaches Mark West and Kenny Gattison. Read the defense, they told him. Do your work early, get position, then act.
“This year I just got a little more poise,” Len said.
When it comes to big men, success is largely dictated by the talent and opportunities presented by his point guard. Len is fortunate in that he is almost always on the floor with a starting-caliber floor general in Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe or Isaiah Thomas.
“They always talk to me, tell me where they want me to be, what spot they want me to be at,” Len said. “Every time they drive, I’m going to be open. It’s going to be easy.”
That isn’t to say Len is taking it easy. Hornacek labeled Len – in tandem with fellow second-year man Archie Goodwin – as the hardest-working player on the team. General Manager Ryan McDonough dubbed Len and Plumlee as the most-improved guys since the end of last season.
Len’s improvement couldn’t be more timely. Last season, Channing Frye would start at power forward before sliding over to center. With him gone and none of the other power forwards boasting Frye’s height, Len realizes the role and opportunity that are his to take.
“There will be more playing time for me, but I feel you have to earn it,” he said. “Training camp is the place to do that. I’m going to work my butt off. We’ll see what comes. I’m just excited to be healthy, you know what I’m saying? I’m ready to play.”