Exactly what I've been thinking. Poor shooter but excellent athleticism to go with length. Would be a great backup center to just shut down the paint and provide some defensive energy.
I'm in the camp that says Capela is going to be a Thabeet-like long-term project. I can't see him competing for meaningful NBA minutes this season. But given his athleticism, I can see why many teams would be interested in him for the long term.
Im guessing you speak about this video: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dKr_SZis1fQ?list=UU3Uju89crJh6rEFMIEJxoxA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I honestly don't see him lost defensively (I hope you realized his team is in a 2-3 zone in a big part of the video), what I see -again- is a big young man who never blocks out to get the rebound, and that's a serious problem, apart of annoying.
Im gonna disagree here. I think he is not a Thabeet/Jordan Hill in that sense. I intuit him better awareness, he's been playing in a pro league, with veterans, he's playing on a national team. He could have issues with NBA speed, I don't know, but I think his basket IQ and awareness it will be ok. Important strenght issues, maybe lack of thoughness, bad habits with the rebounding. Offensively I think he could suprise a little bit, seems well coordinated, like Morey remarked about him at the draft night.
Btw, interesting that his coach is switching with him at p&r D, he is trusting in his ability to defend wings.
I thought he looked actually pretty good in that video defensively. His rebounding positioning was atrocious however.
If he becomes just a rotation guy, then it's a big win. He doesn't have to be a stretch 4 overnight to make an impact, there aren't many rim protectors on this roster. When your cap is tied up primarily with two other players, then these types of projects are the ones that seperate the teams with stars that are really good versus those who are actually contenders.
It looks like his defensive awareness is very good, and he has the speed and more importantly the motor to get into good defensive position when he is caught out of position. He needs to learn how to rebound in the NBA though. He needs to learn how to battle, but he will learn that going against Dwight, Dorsey, and our other bigs in practice.
I am sorry, I can't see this video right now for some reason. i am encouraged by rockbox and anchel's comments.
He just turned 20 & has some bad habits that can be cured with coaching, more importantly he's got the ability to make a big leap forward. His natural gifts like his hands, timing, and athleticism can't be coached. He's interesting to say the least.
He has exceptional lateral quickness for someone his size that plays inside. I am not surprised at all he is guarding wings at times.
Then he....and we....are in trouble. I hope he gets a real coach to start working with him. "Run the floor and rebound if Harden misses" won't cut it. What am I saying? If he isn't included in a trade he'll either be RGV-bound or only get off his a$$ by standing at the perimeter of the huddle looking forlorn.
I didn't think his defense was bad at all. He was fronting his man and at other times he was fighting hard to deny the entry pass. He was in the middle playing zone a good bit, too. He needs to learn to box out, though.
@saleem His defensive rotation was excellent and awareness was as well. He was asked to play in a zone and front his man, and from the video I saw, he did exactly that. @anchelI disagree that he doesn't box out. I only saw one instance in that whole video that he didn't and that was because of the zone and his teammate had the inside position for the box out. Overall , this guy is quick and jumps so fast to get the blocks. Size will help, and will come with time, but he will be in the rotation in no time, if big if, "he" himself wants it that bad.
