With Len and Bell, Wizards should finally be able to play a game originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
After nearly two weeks and six postponed games, the Wizards appear set to finally return to action and play the Spurs on Sunday in San Antonio. Despite still missing six players due to COVID-19 protocols, they now have the league-required eight players available in part thanks to the signing of two big men; Alex Len and Jordan Bell.
Len came over on a free agent deal after he was waived by the Raptors, while Bell signed a 10-day contract to essentially be promoted from their G-League team, the Capital City Go-Go. That will bolster their frontcourt, which as of the middle of last week featured only one healthy center, Robin Lopez.
"I’m happy to have them. We need bodies," Brooks said.
"Both have good experience. Both will get opportunities, probably, for sure Alex will. Right now we only have one five. He gives us good experience, he gives us good length, defensive protection."
The Wizards began the season with three centers, but lost Thomas Bryant due to a torn ACL, and Moe Wagner is currently in protocol. Things have been so dire that guard Bradley Beal has spent time at power forward in recent practices.
Len will likely step right in as Lopez' backup, while Bell will compete with Anthony Gill and possibly Isaac Bonga for minutes at the four until others come back.
"Size is what we need, especially with T.B. going down. He was such a huge part of our team," Russell Westbrook said. "We need to make sure we implement those guys and make the game easy for them. That’s part of my job."
Len, Brooks says, has already stood out at practice due to his size and agility. His best trait is rebounding, having averaged 11.4 boards per-36 minutes in his career. He can also provide some resistance at the rim.
"Protect the paint. Get guys open, get Bradley open. Get Russ going downhill. I’ll just try to fit in by making winning plays," Len said of his goals.
Bell's focus will also be on defense. In his best season, as a rookie with the NBA-champion Warriors in 2017-18, he averaged a block per game in 14.2 minutes on average.
"Playing hard, playing defense. This team with Bradley and Russ, they have the scoring part done," Bell said.
The Wizards will take any help they can get at this point.
