What would be a consensus top 5? I'll say no, but top 5 Rockets players as far as importance no doubt.
If he isn't top 5 he is damn close to it. He gets better all the time. I am really loving the 20/20 games.
I've always really liked Clint and still do... that said... I do think he benefits more from the system rather than his sheer ability... I mean he fills the role we ask of him superbly - but thats a very defined role... Imo to say someone is top 5 means that they could go to most any team and be a force... I cant say thats necessarily true of Clint... He's a top 5 big in our system... but idk if he's one of the 5 best bigs in the league... I mean take away the alley oops and whats his offensive contribution? it's not like you can get him the ball down low and he's gonna create a shot for himself... He can be a monster on the boards... but the way we spread the floor it's not like he's constantly banging between opposing bigs... he can get out muscled... I think his overall D would be pretty good in any situation - but again he can be out muscled if strictly banging down low... esp with a more clogged up paint area... Sometimes I wonder about his awareness... seems like he's always trying to go back up with the ball when he's got 3 defenders collapsing on him as if he doesn't realize - and those times dont usually turn out well... Again, i really like Clint and I think he is an excellent player for what we expect from our center... but idk if I could say he's one of the 5 best bigs in the league. If he went elsewhere and got paid as a top 5 big and was expected to produce like a top 5 big without the benefit of Harden feeding him or the system in general - i think it would be below expectations... imo... but i could be wrong... lol
The joke is that we have to compare him with the likes of towns, porzingis, and stupid cousins etc... Yes the Center who finishes the most is the best big man in the game.
I think the question should be "Are there 5 bigs in the league who could do better than Clint in our system"? I don't think so... AD, Gobert and Embiid for sure... I can't find others who could fit better than Clint here... And to your question, he is not a top5 big man
whenever someone uses "in before" that's the dictionary definition of drawing first blood haven't read the rest of the thread yet so perhaps @DreamShook apologizes later
Question begs why do they have to excel in our system when they could get gigs with other contenders/playoff teams and still be close to the Top 5? Hard to answer. I think Capela is the best, Top1 or Top2 role playing Center but he is not a star who can create his own shots without Harden.
Clint is obviously better suited to us than KAT, but if Timberwolves did open the deal,I think Morey would agree with 500 percent...
What's a "big man?" I saw someone mention KD. He's not a center, and obviously Capela is. AD, on the other hand, is a 4/5 and would be a 5 in our system, unless we had Clint, as well (boy, that's a fantasy!). Does Clint fit in the same ballpark as AD? No, of course not, but he can be compared to similar 5's with similar limitations, like DJ with Dallas, a more "traditional" 5. I'd rather have Capela. Heck, I think Clint, playing at the level he's playing at now, could reasonably fit into the top 5 centers, probably at #5. I don't care how he would fit with other teams, other systems. He's on the Rockets and he's a terrific fit in Houston. We've been seeing the influence of Coach Bzdelik on our team's defense during our streak of outstanding games, in my opinion. I think he's responsible for the big jump in Clint's rebounding by having him do less switching on the perimeter and staying more in the paint, which is paying off. I also think he's behind Harden increasing his defense in the post, where he's been highly effective guarding bigs, much to the surprise of the opposition. It took awhile, but these are impactful changes on our defense. I think the other teams are noticing, even if the talking heads, unsurprisingly, aren't. There's some cool stuff going on with our defense, even with the injuries.
People act like there aren't other players who can set Capela up, or that there are clones who can just replace him. Keep counting him out lol.
I will say this. . . . Clint's limits on Offense is because of the system we run as well We have not asked him to do more than what he is doing. . . . As much as I like AD Cousins etc . . . . . A center trying to mix it up 15~20 feet from the basket benefits our system how? Clint has not worked on his low post game . . .because we don't need it, want it, or suggest it. Being able to switch from outside in to inside out from time to time coule be helpful Hell so many of the people here b****ed and moaned when Yao had the ball on the block and Tracy was outside. . . GIVE IT TO TRACY GIVE IT TO TRACY!!! Rocket River
Clint's numbers are inflated due to Harden. He may be a top 10 in regards to talent...but He is the best center in the league for this team. No ego, and lets our perimeter guys play with high usage.
http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/year/2019/seasontype/2 5th best rebounder
