Houston Rockets: 3 big questions heading into 2019-20

1. Can Capela take his game to the next level?

Clint Capela had a fantastic regular season. He finished with 16.6 points per game, 12.7 assists and a solid field goal percentage of 64.8. After re-signing with the Houston Rockets, Capela proved he is starting caliber center with the potential to be one of the NBA’s best.

However, as the NBA Playoffs rolled around, things drastically changed for Capela.

In Games 4 and 5, Capela averaged 23.5 minutes. He was shutdown by the Warriors and the one-dimensional aspects of his game were exposed greatly. He finished Game 6 with a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 31 minutes but the Rockets’ bed was made.

For Capela, the biggest takeaways from the NBA playoffs is there is a lack of versatility in his game.

By the looks of the Twitter war between Rudy Gobert and Capela, he is certainly trying to take his game to a new level. Better to practice elsewhere, though.

For the 2019-20 NBA season, Capela’s primary focus will be to improve his offensive diversity while maintaining his strong defensive presence. He has all the tools to become of the NBA’s best big men, but it will take plenty of work to compete with the NBA’s best teams.

The addition of Westbrook will certainly help Capela’s cause. They will be able to spread the ball and create more opportunities around the basket. Westbrook had great chemistry with Steven Adams and it would be interesting to see if Capela can have the same success.

Another key addition for the Rockets who could help Capela is Tyson Chandler. Chandler signed a one-year deal with the Rockets last month and could be the perfect mentor for Capela. Chandler plays hard and is making his return for a 19th NBA season.

That is ample experience for Capela to feed off of as he starts the next chapter of his own NBA career.

At 25 years old, Capela is now entering his prime. He has shown glimpses of amazing abilities, but to complement an  NBA championship-caliber team, Capela needs to be better. Hopefully Capela gets another chance to prove himself in the playoffs as the Rockets chase an NBA title.