Houston Rockets: Can Clint Capela put together a career year?

Despite being involved in trade talks at the onset of the offseason, Clint Capela is still with the Houston Rockets. Could a career year be on the horizon?

In spite of playing on a team that has hoisted more triples than any other franchise over the last several seasons, Houston Rockets big man Clint Capela has found a way to be conspicuous by doing the exact opposite in Mike D’Antoni‘s perimeter-oriented offense.

The 25-year-old — who has established himself as one of the elite rim-runners in basketball — put together yet another impressive campaign in Clutch City, averaging a career-high 16.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game on 64.8 percent shooting from the field through 67 games last year.

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On top of developing into one of the game’s finest young centers, as Capela logged a career-best streak of 12 straight games with at least 10 or more rebounds.

In addition to making tremendous strides from the charity stripe in the process, shooting a career-best 63.6 percent from the free throw line.

Yet in the midst of all of the steps that Capela took forward in his third full season as the Rockets starting center, the 6’10”, 240-pound standout would surprisingly construct a lackluster showing in Houston’s most recent postseason run.

Capela — who rose to national prominence through the first two rounds of the 2018 playoffs — struggled mightily at both ends of the floor throughout the majority of the Rockets epic six-game battle with the Golden State Warriors‘ Hampton Five lineup during the 2019 Western Conference semifinals.

Just months after putting together a regular season where he displayed nothing but promise, as Capela averaged 8.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game on the way to finishing with a negative plus-minus in four out of six games.

However, Capela’s playoff struggles only marked the beginning of what was to come, as the man who worked mightily to secure a five-year, $90 million contract to remain in Houston last summer found his name in the midst of trade rumors this time around.

Wondering if the team and city that he had called home for the first five seasons of his career truly wanted him back.

Now, Capela appears to have a concrete answer to his private inquisitions, after waiting through the first few weeks of the offseason to find out whether or not he would be dealt by the Rockets prior to training camp.

The Swiss Roll will remain in H-Town.

"“I think people overreact,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said in a recent interview with Matt Thomas of SportsTalk 790 Houston when asked about all the recent backlash and trade talks involving Capela last week.“Yeah we came up a bit short, but Clint was really good all year…we’re right there.”"

Although it remains to be seen how Capela will bounce back and respond to the offseason trade rumors this upcoming season, one could argue that there is a strong possibility the former first round pick could eclipse his annual production levels for the sixth consecutive year starring directly alongside James Harden.

That includes Russell Westbrook, as Capela — who once received several assignments down to the NBA G League — will now have the fortunate pleasure of being surrounded by two of the game’s premier playmakers in one of the league’s en vogue sets.

Since making his entrance into Rockets starting rotation at the start of D’Antoni’s tenure, the pick-and-roll lob threat has blossomed — and made upward leaps and bounds — under the guidance of Rockets assistant coach John Lucas by increasing his points and rebounds per game totals each season during his time down in Houston.

In conjunction with his free throw, true shooting and assist percentage despite garnering an uptick in overall minutes every year, as Capela has ranked in the top 10 or better among all qualified centers in true shooting percentage for over the last three seasons and counting.

Should the following trends continue to move in a skyward direction, then it could spell doom for the rest of the league, as the Rockets just might have their third star within their own back pocket.