Entering his second stint with the Sacramento Kings, Alex Len is coming off of a first-round playoff exit with the Washington Wizards. The 28-year old NBA journeyman has seen many teams in the last few years, heading from Atlanta to Sacramento, Toronto, Washington and back to Sacramento in just three seasons. 

Len averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 64 nights of action with the Wizards through the 2020-21 season.

Best-case: Len can provide defense off the bench when Sacramento is in a pinch rotationally. 

Since Len returned to the team on a two-year, $7.65 million deal, the risk factor is low in keeping the big man around for a cheaper price. Despite only averaging 6.6 points over 64 games played in the 2020-21 season, Len has proven to be impactful on the defensive end in recent years.

Worst-case: DNPs cause the big man to go stagnant. 

Sacramento acquired plenty of centers in the offseason, and coming off the bench, it’s hard to imagine Alex Len will get significant minutes over Tristan Thompson. The Kings are also looking to the development of young bigs Chimezie Metu, Damian Jones and two-way player Neemias Queta. Len is only 28 years old himself, but taking precedence in these minutes over any other bigs listed seems like a long-shot outside of foul trouble or injuries here and there.

Although I don’t think his ceiling is stellar, career highs for the big man show promise: reaching 33 points in 2019 and 14 rebounds back in 2015. I’m keeping expectations realistic with Len’s role in Sacramento.