Clint Capela at PF? Or is he best suited for C only?

He is a prototype perfect C for 2016 and onwards.

 

In theory, yes. He has to prove that he can handle starter's minutes both when it comes to his endurance and durability and also when it comes to staying out of foul trouble when he's up against other team's starting bigs. I think the foul trouble won't be an issue, but the endurance and durability issue is a total question mark.

 

too limited offensively and too weak physically to become a reliable starter at this point in his career. he's a great guy to have off the bench depending on the matchup though

 

Capela is so overrated here. Would like to see a trade for Asik. Plays great with Harden, Capela can back him up. Same with Lin. Bring him in, great with Harden as well as MDA. Also, sign Eric Gordon on the cheap/prove it contract and play him next to Harden. Good defender, can hit the 3. Daryl offered him the max before so he probably likes him. I think he'd be great next to Harden.

 

I agree with that. More than those things though, he needs to improve his FT% and understanding of positional defense.

I can live with him not being able to play more than 30 minutes. In fact, I would hope we'd sign someone like Noah who would help smooth Capela's transition into a starter.

But at his age, with his speed/quickness/jumping ability, with teams constantly forcing big men to switch onto smaller players, we have a really great piece to develop.

The guy is obviously extremely smart to be able to be where he is considering the consensus when we drafted him was that he needed two more years in Europe before he'd be ready to be a rookie in the NBA. He added a little bit of strength last summer, and he'll do that again this summer. We need to keep the guy lean because the trend is that C's are shrinking and getting quicker. He needs to maintain that edge he has over other C's.

Being coached by McHale, playing against Dwight in practice, developing chemistry with Harden, getting advice from Hakeem, facing the Warriors 2 consecutive playoffs.... these things are going to aid his development tremendously.

We're about to see essentially his 2nd regular season. He's played like 100 regular season games and 20 something playoff games. He turned 22 a couple of weeks ago. This will be his 3rd training camp. We're going to employ an offense which is likely to generate far more second chance opportunities, alley oops, pick n rolls and transition buckets.

 

Spoiler

 

He is a center, but not what the Rockets need. He is perfect for a team like Boston. We need a DMo type to keep the ball movement / spacing. Capela needs a new home while he has value (see TJones 2 seasons ago).

 

he's a center

 

I'd trade Capela for Jamal Murray in a heartbeat.

 

He will never be a PF and he needs to get a lot stronger and show some toughness this year. Also his handles, because if he cannot catch the ball he's of no use.

 

For the style of offense there is no way he can play power forward in my opinion. He is no stoudemire.

 

Asik's had a rough couple of seasons but when he's on he's 15 rpg per a game, great positional defender, and occasional shot blocker. He's a more heavy set traditional center that can hold his ground. Don't think Capela can come close to fetching even this Asik without more of a package.

 

He hit the Rookie Wall this season. He maybe a sophomore technically, especially contract wise, but he's a NBA rookie endurance wise.

 

Capela is a C that needs to get stronger and be a better rebounder. And he needs to finish better at the rim. More force. I dont see, and never expected Capela to develop a jumpshot. Just try to be DJ or Tyson Chandler. I would have no problem trading Capela for an upgrade talentwise.

 

Offensively, Capela has to average ~70% ft in order to stop being intentionally fouled away from the ball AND at the the rim. Capela's life would be easier if he was guarded differently. From there, Capela could move over to the elbow in the PNR and let it fly. However, good FT shooting habits need to happen otherwise you become a stunted player like Howard, Smith, and eventually DJ.

Defensively, another year of conditioning and adding strength to his wiry frame will do him good on top of more NBA experience. You can't teach that length, athleticism, and fluidity. He may never be an elite rim protector but he may soon be able to guard every position and recover competently in the modern switching defenses.

 

Position-wise, he will more than likely be a C unless we got a big bruiser to put next him.

 

In the event we can't land Horford, I wonder how Al Jefferson would look next to Capela? He's not a good defender, but then thats not an issue since defense is not in the Rockets plans for the upcoming season anyway. He is a very good offensive player and a very good rebounder. He is also a decent but not great shot blocker.

 

He's just way too slow, and he's fairly old now with significant injuries throughout his career.

Good player, but almost exactly the opposite type of player we should be seeking IMO.

 

I agree.

 

He's not that old, just 31. Normally I would prefer someone else who plays a little more defense but I think even with his lack of athleticism he would be a decent fit since he takes a lot of his shots away from the basket. He could be effective while still keeping the paint open for James to drive. Plus he is still a very good defensive rebounder. If you are not going to play defense at least get the rebound so they don't get another shot.