Will he continue to be the starting center?
Clint Capela is entering his 10th season in the league, which is tied for the highest on this young Atlanta Hawks. For years Capela has been the defensive anchor for the Hawks, but last season it was evident there was a drop off in his game.
Capela averaged 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game last season, which isn’t bad, but when you take a deeper dive into his numbers there were some concerns. One of them was his ability to finish at the rim, where he shot 48% last season. There are times when Capela grabs an offensive rebound and goes back up and misses, or he would fail to connect on an alley-oop from Trae Young.
The Hawks center is still one of the best rebounders in the league, but it’s all about what he does after he grabs them. With Capela being one of the bigger players on the court, he also struggled to finish over smaller players in the paint.
It’s evident that Young loves playing with Capela, and that reason is because of their success in the pick-and-roll. Young is dangerous in those situations because he can either score on his own, pass it to an open teammate or find the roll-man for a dunk. That’s where Capela has thrived in the league, and any decline in that skill could hurt the Hawks, who run a heavy pick-and-roll game.
With the Hawks getting more shooting around the perimeter, it may help the offense and also help Capela have the paint to himself, but it still hurts that he doesn’t have much of an offensive game himself. The Hawks have added some versatility in the frontcourt that can stretch the floor, which will open up a lot for their offense.
On defense, Capela has had to transition to guarding up on the perimeter instead of playing drop coverage, but he has been able to do a solid job. When he’s in his element as an anchor in the paint, Capela is still disrupting shots at a high level, and he caused the opposing team to shoot 59% at the rim.
The Hawks will need Capela once again to be productive on the defensive glass, but hopefully, with some size on the court, he can get some help. Injuries in the frontcourt did not help that cause at all, but if the team can come in at the beginning of the season healthy, they should be in good shape.
The big question is what Capela’s role will be this season, and if he will be on the Hawks for the entire season. With having an expired contract, there have been trade talks around Capela, most notably with the New York Knicks. The Knicks now have a solidified center, so it will be interesting if any other teams come up in rumors as the season progresses.
With what the Hawks have been trying to do on both sides of the ball since Quin Snyder has been the head coach, Onyeka Okongwu fits the bill more than Capela. There has been a lot of talk around the fanbase on what center should be in the starting lineup, but it’s evident that it’s more important who is finishing games. Even with that, it can be either player’s night, and it will all depend on the matchup and other factors.