Clint Capela has always been one of those Rockets players who feels a little personal if you’ve followed the team long enough. That’s the sense behind him here: not just another big man passing through, but a player who, in this view, has long been underrated in the simplest possible way - as “a star in his role”.
He also fits a familiar Rockets pattern. Capela is one of the non-American bigs whose numbers and advanced metrics looked excellent, even as he drew little draft buzz.
That connects him to Alperen Sengun, and it’s part of a broader drafting lesson: if a foreign big posts strong predictive stats and comes cheap, take him. Guards, on the other hand, are a different game entirely - “spray and pray,” draft a bunch and see which one can really handle NBA play.
Even a merely decent guard, if he’s inexpensive, can end up being a very valuable piece.
Capela’s place in Rockets history is hard to miss. His arrival in 2014 mattered more than it looked at the time.
He became the ideal center partner for James Harden, and the argument here is that no other Harden teammate at center fit that job better. Once Capela moved into the starting five, the Harden-era Rockets really accelerated.
Then came the trade to Atlanta in the 2020-21 season, which is framed here as a turning point - the moment the Rockets’ title-contender hopes really ended. There were intellectual reasons for making that move, but the piece makes clear that doubling down on Russell Westbrook never really worked.
Capela’s return to Houston, though, brought its own problems into focus. The criticism isn’t aimed at Clint; it’s aimed at the organization and the coaching decisions around him.
Rafael Stone built the 2025 offseason roster in a neat, lawyerly way, with the team hard capped and seemingly complete. Then Fred VanVleet got hurt, and the whole setup stalled.
The point is that a carefully constructed plan can fall apart fast when reality hits.
Ime Udoka comes in for similar scrutiny. Stone had given the Rockets three playable centers, including Capela and Steven Adams, and both of them rank in the top ten all time in offensive rebounding rate.
When Adams went down early, the obvious answer should have been to lean on Capela. Instead, that did not happen.
Even though Capela’s numbers in limited action - 926 minutes - still held up well compared with his career, he was not used the way the situation seemed to demand.
The explanation given is blunt: the vibes were off. Capela was said to be heavier than his usual playing weight and not moving like the Baby Deer of old.
In a “Vibes Coach” setup, that can be enough to bury a player, even if he is still vacuuming up rebounds. The idea of letting him play his way into shape, or figuring out the right lineup around him, was not embraced unless circumstances forced it.
Capela said at Media Day that he had dropped 4% off his total body fat number. The expectation from that is simple enough: he probably looks better in uniform and should move better, which could lead to more playing time.
But the uncertainty remains. If he does get on the floor, the projection is a version of last season’s production per 36 minutes - 11 points, 13 rebounds, including 6.2 offensive boards, plus 2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 2.4 steals - with a chance to be a little better if the conditioning is improved from what he had in Atlanta.
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Thompson said he has been focused on that part of his game all offseason, and he is aiming higher than just becoming a steadier shooter. He wants All-Star and All-NBA recognition, and the early signs from within the locker room have been encouraging, with teammates noticing progress in his shot and his physical condition. If that improvement keeps building, it could change the way opponents defend him and, in turn, open up another level for the Rockets. [Read more 🡒]
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For Smith, the changes are less about bulk and more about staying mobile, which matters on both ends for a player expected to keep expanding his role. The challenge is finding the right version of that evolution without sacrificing the agility that lets him handle smaller defenders, and that balance will be worth watching as the Rockets try to blend Durants veteran polish with the energy of their younger core. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Trade Buzz Just Put Houston's Commitment In Focus
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Even with Durant still producing at an All-NBA level, Houston has shown no appetite for opening the door on his market, and a move before the season starts looks unlikely. That stance says plenty about where the Rockets see themselves right now - not as a club tempted by star-chasing noise, but as one committed to protecting the pieces that have made the roster so promising in the first place. [Read more 🡒]