Former Terps hoops stars Kevin Huerter, Alex Len and Jake Layman have been major contributors to their respective NBA teams this year and all finished strong down the stretch of the regular season. Huerter and Len ended as starters for the Atlanta Hawks, with the former playing in that role all season long as a rookie. Both Hawks now head into their offseason while Layman and the Portland Trail Blazers get set for the playoffs. Layman provided a spark off the bench for Portland all year long and finished the season with heavier minutes because of some of the injuries the Trail Blazers sustained.
TSR has been tracking their success throughout the year, and now we take a look at how Huerter, Len and Layman fared in their finals games of the regular season. Here’s a look at their performances from April 1-10.
Alex Len (2018-2019: 20.1 MPG, 11.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.9 BLKPG)
Len moved into a starter’s role for Atlanta’s final six games and had a very impressive April. The 7-foot-1 Ukrainian’s newfound knack for hitting threes consistently persisted as he averaged 3.2 makes from downtown in Atlanta’s five games in April while posting 18.8 points per game in that stretch. Len also did the work of a typical big man and averaged 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in the Hawks’ final five outings. Len’s strong last couple of weeks also included a career-high in scoring for the sixth-year pro. In a 115-107 loss April 7 to the Milwaukee Bucks, Len dropped 33 points (13-for-23 FG) to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. To help himself get there, Len hit six of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc against the Bucks. In Atlanta’s regular season finale April 10, Len concluded the season with his ninth double-double of the year by posting 20 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana. Len also had three blocks in that game, his most in a game since Jan. 2.
Kevin Huerter (2018-2019: 27.3 MPG, 9.7 PPG, 2.9 APG, 3.3 RPG)
Huerter played in four of Atlanta’s five games over the past week and a half, and the 19th overall pick in last year’s draft had some fine performances to round out his impressive rookie season. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Huerter’s last three games this season was his efficiency. Scoring in double figures in three of Atlanta’s last four games, Huerter also shot 53.7 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three during that span. Huerter scored 13 points April 2 in a six-point loss to the Spurs and stuffed the stats with 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds in an eight-point win against the Philadelphia 76ers the next night. Huerter netted nine points to go along with six assists and four rebounds April 7 in a loss to Milwaukee and he ended his first year as a pro on an even higher note with 17 points, five threes, five rebounds, and three assists in Atlanta’s regular season finale against the Indiana Pacers. Huerter ends his rookie year averaging just under 10 points per game and proved early in his career that he can be a building block for Atlanta’s young team.
Jake Layman (2018-2019: 18.7 MPG, 7.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG)
In Portland’s six games so far in April, Layman’s minutes and production have been all over the place, but it ended with playing the whole 48 minutes in the Trail Blazers’ regular season finale against the Sacramento Kings. With most of Portland’s regular starters being rested in that game, Layman proved once again that he can make things happen when given the opportunity. The second-year pro netted 19 points (7-for-15 FG) and ripped down four rebounds against the Kings, which could help his case for more minutes during Portland’s upcoming playoff run. In contrast, Layman scored zero points and had just two rebounds the night prior in nine minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers and recorded just two points and two rebounds the game before that in 12 minutes against the Denver Nuggets. Both of those lackluster performances were preceded by three games in which Layman averaged 11.3 points in 16 minutes per game.
