Grab and go serves as Capela’s mantra
Four 20-rebound games in row show a dazzling level of energy
Clint Capela picked up C.J. McCollum on a switch, staying in front of the high-scoring Trail Blazers guard enough to coax a missed shot out of him and then chase down the rebound.
That’s when things got interesting. The Rockets’ rejuvenated and revved-up center, on the best rebounding run of his career, sent an outlet pass to James Harden and immediately began his sprint.
Check out any of Capela’s 15 defensive rebounds on Monday and they all were immediately followed by a dash to the other end of the court as if rather than hitting the boards, he had been crouched in blocks and heard the starter’s pistol go off. But this was his 19th rebound of the night. The win had been secured. He had played nearly all of his 35 minutes in his first game back from a concussion.
Moments later, when Rockets guard Ben McLemore missed from the corner, Capela was there, hitting the offensive boards to give him a streak of four-consecutive 20-rebound games, the longest for a Rockets player since Elvin Hayes in the 1970-71 season when the team was still in San Diego.
It was the third time he had snared a defensive rebound on one end of the floor and then cleaned up the offensive possession with another rebound on the other end. And while that final flurry was hardly on a break, the other two required that he catch up to Russell Westbrook in full flight like Usain Bolt beginning an anchor leg from behind.
“I’m trying to do the best I can rebounding the ball, correcting mistakes on defense and on offense, just bring my energy,” Capela said. “When I
do that great, good things happen for the team. I will keep doing that.”
Those sprints are essential not just to getting Capela up to speed after a slow start to the season, but to Wednesday’s matchup with Denver’s gifted and very different Nikola Jokic.
Capela, with Mike D’Antoni force-feeding him playing time to get in shape, ran his way into the condition necessary to put together his rebounding run.
In his first six games of the season, Capela averaged 12.2 points, 1.7 blocked shots and eight rebounds. In his six games since, he has averaged 15 points, 18.2 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Rockets’ defense had gone from ranking 29th in the NBA, allowing 116.2 points per 100 possessions, to ranking sixth, giving up 102.1 points per 100 possessions since.
Capela’s rebounding streak is a testament to his improved conditioning.
“I’m just impressed that’s four straight 20 rebounds (games) and he’s playing 37 minutes,” D’Antoni said. “The last couple years, we’ve talked about getting him up there with the same consistent energy and he’s doing that. He’s been phebe
nomenal.
“He probably just didn’t have his legs early and now he’s got them and he’s playing. He’s really playing.”
His play, and particularly his high-speed energy, will likely be especially important against Jokic, the fulcrum of the Nuggets’ offense. Capela always must rely on speed and energy. That’s what made improving his fitness to midseason form so vital. But that is especially true against Jokic’s enormous range of skills.
“It’s good always,” Capela said of matching up with one of the league top centers. “It’s a good matchup, a good test, an All-Star. I love those matchups. It’s going to
very interesting.
“I try to do that with everybody I enjoy doing that against him, too. He’s a smart player. We’ll see if he can keep up with my speed.”
After Capela’s recent surge, he is likely to have the Nuggets’ attention, too. He averaged 24 points on 69.6 percent shooting and 11 rebounds in his three games against the Nuggets last season, all Rockets’ wins. The Rockets dropped the game in Denver that Capela missed. But that is almost ancient history compared to four consecutive nights getting 20 rebounds.
“It’s a huge, huge accomplishment, a huge feat,”
Rockets backup center Tyson Chandler said of the 20rebound streak. “It built him up to (fifth in) the rankings. I tell him he should be in the top five, he rebounds the ball so well. You make those kinds of goals, it ultimately ends up being a team thing because of how important rebounding is.
“Just his confidence, his conditioning, he’s all over the floor. He’s starting to see things differently. When you accomplish those little things, it just breeds more confidence and more confidence. I honestly think he’s scratching the surface as a player.”
Chandler said big men don’t hit their peak until their late 20s. Though Capela had come a long way in his previous five seasons, he has developed more touch around the rim to go with increasing his rebounding every season.
“He’s pretty efficient around the basket. His little hook shots are getting better,” D’Antoni said. “He’s 25. You learn how to play certain situations and how to stay focused and how to sustain the energy. He’s turned into a really, really good basketball player.”
Most of all, he’s back to making those strides at full speed.