NBA: Biggest X-factor for all 30 teams in the 2019-20 season
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela
Since taking over the starting gig in the 2016-17 season, Clint Capela has been an interior force for the Houston Rockets.
He’s increased his points and rebounds per game in each of the last three seasons while shooting above 60 percent from the field and serving as a tremendous rim protector.
The Rockets ran plenty of isolation sets last season, but Mike D’Antoni also relies on his athletic 7-footer to attract multiple defenders while rolling to the bucket. It’s a tactic that’s worked to near perfection during the regular season, but the same can’t be said come playoff time.
Capela is one of the best rim-runners in the game due to his length and athleticism, but he doesn’t exactly carry an array of offensive moves down low.
James Harden does a lot of the work by setting his center up for easy catches around the rim, but when forced to free himself up off the catch, Capela hasn’t proven as deadly.
It’s why his scoring numbers have dipped in the postseason, most notably this past year with a decrease of 6.9 points per game. Opponents trap Houston’s ballhandlers farther away from the basket, forcing Capela to catch the ball in unfamiliar territory.
A guy like Draymond Green has made a name for himself exploiting those four-on-three situations with incredible IQ and vision, but the same can’t be said for Capela.
Without an outside shot, he may try to back his way down if possible, but he’s not a gifted passer nor does he have the refined low-post game to manufacture an easy bucket.
D’Antoni has a tendency to go small with P.J. Tucker at the 5-spot and it’s arguably his best lineup, but Capela is the third-highest paid player on the team and should function as such.
He’s shown the ability to control the interior at both ends and has been crucial to the Rockets success over the last few years.
With the addition of Russell Westbrook, Houston’s championship-or-bust mentality has only grown larger. The chemistry between Westbrook and Harden will be crucial, but a newfound scoring ability from Capela could help the Rockets overcome previous playoff failures.