Alex Len on his five seasons with Phoenix Suns: It was a roller coaster

PHOENIX – Collectively, the Phoenix Suns are limping towards the finish line that is the 2017-18 regular season.

Individually, a handful of players have been trending upward with their recent play; guys like Marquese Chriss, Josh Jackson and Tyler Ulis.

Now add Alex Len, who after missing the previous three games with a left ankle sprain, came off the bench to score 17 points and grab a game-best 15 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings.

It was his team-leading 11th double-double of the season and his seventh as a reserve, which is the third-most in the NBA this season.

At practice on Thursday, Len was still feeling the effects of his 32-minute stint, which marked only his third time playing better than 30 minutes this season and the first since Feb. 14.

“At this point in the season, everything hurts,” he said, smiling. “It is what it is, so you just got to fight through it the last three games and you got to finish (the season) strong.”

Finishing strong — a familiar refrain from players — might mean more to Len than some of his other teammates. And the reason is simple: Come July 1, Len is an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team in the league.

“You always want to leave a good impression because you play for one team, you audition for 30, so every time you step on the court you try to do your best,” he said.

Len played this season on a one-year qualifying offer of $4.2 million.

And while he hasn’t completely closed the door on remaining in Phoenix, Len knows the odds of that happening aren’t very good.

“I would love to (stay) but we’ll see if I get an offer from the Suns,” he said.

With perhaps the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and almost certainly a top-5 pick, the Suns may very well target a big man. There are several good prospects, beginning with Arizona center Deandre Ayton.

Len, himself, was a high draft choice (No. 5 in the 2013 NBA Draft), though, he never quite lived up to the expectations that come along with being a top-five pick.

In five seasons, the 7-foot-1, 260-pound Len never once averaged double figures in scoring or rebounding.

Asked to describe his time with the Suns, Len first laughed and then explained in great detail all that he had faced.

“It was a roller coaster,” he said. “But I can say it was a great experience because I got everything thrown at me. This year, we had eight point guards. I played for three different coaches. Every year was a different team. I played different roles. In my third year, I played a little bit with Tyson (Chandler) as a four-man; then I played five-man.

“I literally got everything thrown at me and I feel like with that experience going forward, there’s nothing new I can see. I look at it just as a great experience.”

Len’s hope is sign with a team that will give him the opportunity to be a starter.

“To prove myself right that I can play as a starter,” he said. But more than anything he wants to play on a winning team.

Aside from his age — he turns 25 in July — Len’s greatest asset is his athleticism, and it’s that athleticism that interim head coach Jay Triano believes still has a place in the NBA.

“I think when he’s been at his best this year, he’s set screens and he’s rolled down the lane and has been the first big down the floor to flatten defenses, has kept balls alive with the offensive rebounding,” Triano said. “Sounds like a lot, but if you can screen, roll hard, run the floor fast and rebound, there’s a lot of money to be made and a role on a team for sure, especially the way the game is trending.”

If Len is disappointed with how things appear to be ending in Phoenix, he isn’t saying.

“You can look at anything as a negative or a positive. I’m trying to look at the positive thing,” he said, again referring to his time as a learning experience. “I just try to look at everything in a positive light.”

Health updates

Expect the Suns to be shorthanded once again when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Already Alan Williams has been ruled out due to right knee soreness, while Devin Booker (right hand sprain), Troy Daniels (sprained right ankle), Elfrid Payton (left knee tendinopathy) and T.J. Warren (left knee inflammation) are listed questionable.

“I honestly don’t know what we’ll have for tomorrow,” Triano said. “I expect the lineup will be similar to what we’ve had in the past. They didn’t practice well enough to convince me (those four can play) right now anyway.”

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