Author: Kevin L. Chouinard (@KLChouinard)
1) Alex developed a three-point shot.
While he was with the Phoenix Suns, Len made 6 of 25 three-pointers in five seasons. In Atlanta, Len had a green light to fire from long distance. In his one season with the Hawks, Len made 74 of 204 threes (36.3 percent). He turned himself into a floor spacer, a big capable of creating offense without having to occupy the paint.
What were the keys to his successful transformation?
"Repetitions. Being in the gym. Just shooting," Len said. "The more I shot, the more comfortable I got. As soon as I started making them in the game, my confidence kept growing and growing and I got more comfortable with it."
2) Alex set a career-high in points per game.
For the first time in his career, Len averaged in double figures in points: 11.1 points per game. Prior to this season, his career high was the 9.0 points per game that he scored in 2015-16.
Len showed he was capable of larger scoring outbursts, too. Prior to this season, he had scored 20 or more points in a game six times in his career. In his 2018-19 campaign, Len broke the 20-point barrier a total of ten times – and nine of those ten came in the 2019 calendar year.
3) Alex, in his own words, on the progress that the team made
"This season was great, probably the most fun I've had in a while. I know we didn't win a lot of games but we definitely proved a lot of people wrong. I think ESPN had us for like 18, 17 wins before the season and we had almost 30. We have a great future ahead of us and a good young core, so we just have to put in a good summer and then go out and good things are going to happen."
4) Alex set a new single-game career-high in points near the end of the season.
When looking at single-game performances by Hawks this season, it is hard to top the 49 points that Trae Young scored in quadruple overtime. But Len may have had the most impressive performance in a regulation game. Len caught torrid fire in Milwaukee and finished with 33 points on a mix of threes, dunks, and dribble moves that attacked close-outs.