On his way to the Conference Finals, the Houston Rockets see one player as an important factor whose defensive capabilities are so versatile that he can defend almost anything. Clint Capela completed his best regular season and is now playing even better playoffs. As a center, it could even be the answer to the threat of Golden State Warriors firepower.
“He doesn’t get much recognition for what he does,” James Harden said about his center after game 4 against Utah Jazz. “But he doesn’t ask for it either. He just goes out and does his job.”
And Capela doing his job in those playoffs! In the first round, the Swiss brought Karl-Anthony Towns to despair with his robustness and frustrated the Wolves star with his ability to block even hook shots thanks to his dynamism and arm length. Now it is Rudy Gobert who has the painful experience of not being able to score simple points against Capela even in the immediate vicinity of the basket.
One aspect that makes Capela a much more interesting center than his physical presence might believe is his ability to defend guards at the perimeter. Capela proves in the series against jazz that he is not a clear mismatch when he has to defend Donovan Mitchell after the pick’n’roll.
The youngster faced the Rockets Center for about four posessions per game until game 3 and was able to capitalize on the alleged speed advantage in only 33.3 percent of the cases. In game 4, the jazz didn’t want to pick’n’roll with Gobert and wanted Mitchell to attack P.J. Tucker or James Harden.
Capela benefits above all from his lateral speed. The sequence of steps in the 2.08-meter center is hardly reminiscent of a Big Man. If one of the guards passes him after the pick’n’roll, Capela is fast enough in the area of his own zone to prevent a clean throw with his long arms.
In Game 4, for example, this forced Joe Ingles several times to abandon his actual goal during the move into the zone and to choose an outward pass. Capela fits perfectly into the ranks of players with the skills that head coach Mike D’Antoni needs for his continuous defensive switch system and that have made Houston a top 6 defender in the regular season.
The squad the Rockets built up was of course not specifically developed as an antidote to jazz – Houston made no secret of the fact that instead the Warriors played prominently into their plans throughout the season. Now, a clash between the two teams in the Western Conference Finals seems inevitable, both teams lead their series at 3-1 and play match 5 at home. Capela would also play a key role in this series.
The shooting skills of the Warriors are beyond question and therefore it takes a big man to let a Steph Curry after the switch not play the whole repertoire of his possibilities without resistance. Capela is supposed to be this player, especially since he could take advantage of economies of scale on the other side of the court if the Warriors stay in centre position on their little lineup with Draymond Green.
The Swiss is certainly not a centre that can pull the playing field apart, but he is a good pick’n’roll player who rolls quickly after the block and positions himself under the basket. The Rockets-Offense was better this year with Capela on the court than without, he clears the way brilliantly with his picks for Harden and Paul.
In any case, the development of the center is one that should bring it into the discussion about the Most-Improved-Player-Award. GM Daryl Morey agrees: “He has improved a lot in his fourth year. And that hardly ever happens,” praised Morey Capela, who raised his WARP quota from .577 to .670. “For 97 percent of players, it is already clear after three years what the skillset of the player will look like in his career.
Capela’s leap in performance should also cost the Rockets dearly – after this season he is Restricted Free Agent and might not become cheap in view of the shown performances. However, if the Rockets want to stay with the currently so successful system, Capela is perfect for this role – a kind of superstar role-playing game.
But this should be worth it. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gilbert Arenas, DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gobert and Scottie Pippen succeeded in increasing their winning percentages even further than Capela in the fourth season. At only 23 years of age, Capela is also hoping for further increases in performance.
It is only the second season in which Capela regularly starts. His 23.9 minutes per game rose to 27.5 minutes this season. In the playoffs it is currently 31 minutes per game. minutes, which increased his score to 15.9 points, the rebounds to 12.8 and the blocks to 2.1. Values that not only secure the Swiss’s starter role, but even make him look like an all-star candidate in the West.
“He’s a monster. Definitely one of the best centers in the league.”
Words like Eric Gordon’s after Game 4 seem a little premature given the relatively short time span of Capela’s top performances. But it should come as no surprise if Capela is showered with praise even more often in the future. At the latest, if he should manage to limit curry at the perimeter in his possibilities.