NBA Draft 2013: Phoenix Suns Select Alex Len With No.5 Pick

Jun 27, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Alex Len (Maryland) poses for a photo with NBA commissioner David Stern after being selected as the number five overall pick to the Phoenix Suns during the 2013 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

With the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns select sophomore center Alex Len out ofMaryland. Len is a great big man for the Suns and will be nice with the Morris twins already there inPhoenixas the Suns are in transition with new head coach Jeff Hornacek.

Len is 7-foot-1 and 255 pounds and really had his breakout year this past season. Some of Len’s strengths are that he is a good athlete; he has very good offensive skills in the low post, got good hands, and is a shot blocker. Many people thought that Len was going to be the number one overall pick but the Cleveland Cavaliers did not go that route as they selected Anthony Bennett.

This past season atMaryland, Len scored 11.9 points and grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game in 26 minutes per game. In the paint this year, Len was a force in the middle as he blocked 78 shots in a very competitive ACC. He took on the likes of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Duke Blue Devils.

Len just might be a rookie of the year candidate.

Follow me on twitter @Jovan10 for Sixers, College Basketball, NFL, MLB, and all sports updates.