"Christian Wood was more valuable injured" - Lakers fans rip into 7-foot Ukrainian center after questionable game vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Lakers fans were remotely not impressed with 7-foot Ukrainian center Alex Len after his performance against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Len finished with two points, three rebounds, one assist and one turnover in 19 minutes. He went 1 of 3 from the floor. Despite getting a start and a significant role, Len's failure to make an impact left Lakers fans furious after he finished with a +/- 15 in a 20-point loss.
Len made some decent plays in the short roll where he had good reads, but his defense was questionable. He often struggled to position himself well in transition against Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo, leaking a combined 47 points against the Bucks' frontcourt duo.
Even former NBA star Reggie Miller, who was on the broadcast for TNT, couldn't help but critique Alex Len, who left Brook Lopez wide open on a wing 3, helping Luka Doncic against Taurean Prince.
"(Alex) Len, he’s not guarding anyone, he’s not scoring, he’s not rebounding. Go small if you're the Lakers," Miller said.
Alex Len didn't escape the Lakers fans' wrath after this outing. One fan joked that former center Christian Wood was a more reliable presence despite his injury than Len. Ironically, the Lakers cut Wood to sign Len.
"Never let Alex Len cook again. Christian Wood was more valuable injured," the fan wrote.
Another tweeted:
Another questioned JJ Redick's choice to go with Alex Len, saying:
"Does Alex Len actually turn into Kyrie Irving, Magic, and Jokic in practice because what am I missing here?"
One fan said:
"Cut Alex Len he’s worse than my plumber"
Another added:
"I want Hayes in Denver tomorrow"
Lakers had no options but to play Alex Len against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks
The LA Lakers were limited in the frontcourt. LeBron James, Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura's absence was always going to open up minutes for Alex Len at the center position. Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III were the alternatives, but neither would have been good matchups for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
Koloko has the height but lacks size, while Jemison has the opposite issue. Alex Len was the only option for JJ Redick as someone who could have physically held off Antetokounmpo or Lopez.
However, he wasn't solid when guarding in space, leading to his struggles. That's where Antetokounmpo, Lopez, and the rest of the Bucks team exploited Len, resulting in his poor outing and a lopsided game.