Atlanta Hawks center Alex Len's night was cut short against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday as he exited the game due to an ankle injury.
The 26-year-old Ukranian center left the game in the first quarter and was unfit to return, the team confirmed on Twitter.
Alex Len (left ankle sprain) will not return to tonight’s game.
— Hawks PR (@HawksPR) December 24, 2019
He played six minutes and had two boards and one assist before going down to injury. After an underwhelming five-year stint with the Phoenix Suns who drafted him 5th overall in 2013, Len was a given a new lease on his basketball career when he signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Hawks last season.
He eventually assumed the role of starting center and tallied career-highs of 11.1 points and 36.3 percent shooting from downtown. Len has had a down year stats-wise this season, averaging 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 29 games.
Due to his shortcomings in rebounding the basketball and protecting the paint (0.8 blocks), Len has also been logging in just 18 minutes per contest in his second season with Atlanta.
The Hawks went on to lose a close one, 118-121, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Monday — their seventh consecutive defeat of the season. They dropped right at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 6-24 record, and have also tied the Golden State Warriors for the worst record in the league.
The Hawks are not particularly deep at the center position, with Damian Jones and rookie Bruno Fernando left as the two remaining bigs with Len out. They will have a few days off before taking on the league's best team Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
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