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Houston Rockets: The Rise Of Clint Capela

By Jordan Treske

Jan 30, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Clint Capela (15) attempts a free throw during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Clint Capela (15) attempts a free throw during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite making big changes this offseason, the Houston Rockets will be relying on one of their most promising players in Clint Capela to take a big leap this season.

After failing to live up to expectations last year, the Houston Rockets are looking for a fresh start.

Coming out of the gate, the Rockets set the tone for what would sum up their entire season last year.  From their lackluster play to locker room instability, there was no question that the Rockets’ collapse last season would lead to big changes.

Now those changes have come and the Rockets will be relying on new additions to put last year’s disappointment behind them.

They’ve reinforced their identity with the hiring of head coach Mike D’Antoni, whose offensive strengths fall in line with their trademark pace and space offense.

Related Story: 25 Best Players To Play For The Houston Rockets

Despite the size of their lucrative deals, the additions of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon will help improve the team’s efficiency, especially from the three-point line.

However, one of the bigger changes in store for the Rockets this upcoming season happens to come from within.

At 22 years old, Clint Capela has already shown plenty of flashes in his young career.

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After playing sparingly in his rookie campaign, Capela emerged as a key contributor for the Rockets last year.

In his limited minutes, Capela showed plenty of promise as an effective rebounder on both ends of the floor as he averaged 12.1 rebounds per 36 minutes.

On the offensive end, Capela proved to be very effective as the roll man in pick and roll situations, ranking in the 83rd percentile of NBA, per NBA.com/stats (in a minimum of 50 possessions).

Now with the departure of Dwight Howard, Capela appears to be in line to take over as the team’s starting center for the coming season.

Although there’s plenty of optimism that Capela can assume starting minutes without much adjustment, it may also be a tall task for a player that is young into his career.

That’s a challenge that Rockets GM Daryl Morey acknowledged in an interview with the Associated Press very recently:

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"“Clint is going to have to take a big step forward and it’s not an easy step,” Morey said. “To go from playing 15-20 minutes against often not the starting center to playing 25-plus minutes against front-line guys, that’s a big step forward. It’s more physical. It takes a big toll on your body to do that night-in and night-out.”"

While Capela has reportedly built his body for starter’s minutes (#MUSCLEWATCH), the bigger challenge for Capela this year may lie on the defensive end.

With the additions the Rockets made this offseason, Capela’s ability to anchor the team’s defense will surely be put to the test.

That’s not to say that’s out of the ordinary for Capela since the downfall on the defensive end was the biggest of the Rockets’ shortcomings last year.

With that said, Capela rose above the wreckage that was the Rockets’ defense as he posted a net rating of 3.1 points per 100 possessions last season.

All in all, the development of Capela has been a bright spot for the Rockets over the last year and it’s only natural to create a bigger role for him.

Next: Houston Rockets: 2016-17 Season Outlook

But with that comes a load of challenges for the Swiss native and how he responds to those possible stumbling blocks will be something to watch moving forward.

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