I never said Capela isn't good or special. He is worth every bit of his 20 million a year contract. I'm just saying that his game is pretty much been the same for the last 3 season other than he can play more minutes without being gassed.
I'm looking forward to the improved chemistry between Capela and Faried that is bound to happen. Right now it looks like they are getting in each other's way a little bit. But, I expect the team to really start firing in all cylinders in the coming weeks as the new players are worked into the system.
Even with improved stamina, its way easier to fight for every rebound, contest every shot, and stay in front of guards for 27 minutes than it is for 34. Nikola Jokic ran into the same problem last year, going from 27 to 32 MPG, his efficiency went down and his rebounding declined and was less impressive according to advanced statistics, this year his WS/48 matches his from 2016-17. Look at James Harden's efficiency and advanced stats his last year in OKC (6th man, 31MPG) vs his first year here (#1 option, 37 MPG). It took Harden a few years for his defense to return to passible levels and to transform into a hyper-efficient scorer on high usage. His WS/48 didn't exceed his 6MOY year ('11-'12) until his first serious MVP candidacy ('14-'15). You're right about Faried tho, he's always been an analytics darling. But he peaked in his rookie season (.212 WS/48) playing only 22.5 MPG, which tanked to .167 on 28MPG the next year. Add to that the fact that Kenneth is/was the superior athlete, and grew notorious in Denver for a lackadaisical defensive effort during his later years there.
I would argue that he has improved in PnR lob awareness, his ability to finish in traffic, and his face up post game.
It’s maintaining his already absurd production with his heavy increases in minutes. You are reading the data incorrectly.
I didn't want to start a new thread, but wanted to point out that in capela's first 6 games back, he is significantly less impactful on the offensive end. He's averaging only 11 points to his season average 17. His recovery is worth continuing to watch.
