{"id":152971,"date":"2025-08-01T06:30:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T10:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=152971"},"modified":"2025-08-01T04:20:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T08:20:10","slug":"clint-capela-and-another-mad-rockets-science-experiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/01\/clint-capela-and-another-mad-rockets-science-experiment\/","title":{"rendered":"Clint Capela And Another Mad Rockets Science Experiment"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the 2019-20 season, the Houston Rockets traded away starting center Clint Capela<\/a> to create micro-ball and become the smallest team in the league. Now, for 2025-26, they’ve brought him back. This time, they’re going to be the biggest. Macro-ball? Mega-ball? The Jumbo Rockets are going big into being big. But will the returns be as big as they blatantly believe?<\/p>\n

\"Atlanta
Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) dunks against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) and guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clint Capela And Another Mad Rockets Science Experiment<\/h2>\n

The Houston Rockets are second in ESPN’s offseason power rankings<\/a>. Obviously, the biggest reason for that is the addition of superstar scorer<\/a> Kevin Durant<\/a>. Their second-most prominent addition is probably Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a>. Meanwhile, their center rotation of Alperen Sengun<\/a> and Steven Adams<\/a> was already considered a strength last season. Capela comes in as a replacement for departing third-stringer Jock Landale<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Rockets’ decision to shell out a three-year, $21.5 million contract<\/a> to Capela seems bizarre at first glance. The Rockets were already a big team last season. By swapping the six-foot-four Jalen Green<\/a> for the six-foot-11 Durant, they got even bigger. They even swapped the six-foot-six Dillon Brooks<\/a> for six-foot-seven Finney-Smith. Durant, Finney-Smith, and Jabari Smith Jr.<\/a> have all proven themselves serviceable small-ball fives. Last season, Adams was considered overqualified for a backup role. So, what do the Rockets need with yet another starting quality center?<\/p>\n

The Udoka Special<\/h3>\n

Clearly, the front office is interested in experimenting further with head coach Ime Udoka<\/a>‘s semi-successful postseason strategy. Adams and Sengun played 13.2 minutes per game<\/a> together in Houston’s series against the Golden State Warriors. They were a +4.6 in those minutes. On one hand, the Rockets had a particular interest in leveraging their physical advantages against a much smaller and older team. On the other hand, one of that team’s smallest and oldest players was Stephen Curry<\/a>. Curry breaks the rules of basketball. With Curry, the most important part of the basketball court is no longer the bit with the basket in it. Instead, it’s the bit with Curry in it. Or rather, the bit Curry briefly happens to be inhabiting before sprinting off to the new most important part of the court elsewhere. If the Rockets were willing to go double big against Curry, it stands to reason they’d go double big against anyone.<\/p>\n

Adding a third starting quality center will allow Udoka to go double-big as much as he wants. He’ll even have options on the bigs in question. Granted, the offense wouldn’t survive Adams and Capela sharing the court, even if defenders would be sent rattling around between screens like pinballs. But either could pair nicely with Sengun for slightly different looks. Unlike the flightless Kiwi, Capela provides a lob threat to add an extra dimension to the big-to-big two-man game.<\/p>\n

Capela’s Prime<\/h3>\n

Off the strength of his lob game, Capela turned himself into one of the better centers in the league during Houston’s title-contending window in the late 2010s. He was a double-double night in, night out. His role in the two-man game with superstar James Harden<\/a> was clearly the less glamorous and more replaceable of the two. Even so, actually replacing Capela with a more effective player in that specific role would have been nearly impossible at that time. Anthony Davis<\/a> would have done it better, a superstar and MVP candidate. Other than that? Nobody. Even talk at the time of trading Capela for former first-team All-NBA member DeAndre Jordan<\/a> was shot down by the front office. Capela was the best lob threat five-man in the league.<\/p>\n