Atlanta Hawks Evaluations: Clint Capela

The veteran center remains valuable to the team.

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Clint Capela's first season with the Atlanta Hawks was nothing short of spectacular. The veteran center led the NBA in rebounding and formed a formidable 1-2 punch with point guard Trae Young. Following Capela's first year in Atlanta, the front office rewarded him with a two-year contract extension.

Unfortunately, the historically-short offseason did not agree with Capela mentally or physically. The 27-year-old admitted to the team lacking excitement and a nagging heel injury which slowed him down this season. With that being said, let's review his 2021-22 season.

End of the Year Grades

Offense - C+

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Clint Capela got off to a slow start after receiving a PRP injection in his Achilles during the offseason and missing all but one preseason game. After making a living by finishing off alley-oops courtesy of Trae Young, there was a visible lack of explosion at the beginning of the season.

The slow start was exacerbated when Capela missed two games due to Covid in December and six games with an ankle injury in January. Luckily for the Hawks, Capela began producing at a consistent level during the second half of the season.

Despite improving as the season progressed, Capela took a major step back offensively in the 2021-22 campaign. His points per game dropped from 15.2 to 11.1, his offensive rebounds decreased from 4.7 to 3.8 per game, and his free throw attempts and free throw percentage both plummeted as well. Capela went from fourth-leading scorer on the team to 8th.

One of the biggest gripes fans have with Capela's offensive game is his ability to finish at the rim. Sadly, there was no progress in that area. Capela took 7 shot attempts per game at the rim on 64.7%. Compare that to last season's 64.2% at the rim on 9.4 shot attempts, and it's a wash at best.

In fact, there was only one other center in the league this season who shot a lower percentage at the rim on 7+ shot attempts per game is Portland Trail Blazer's Jusuf Nurkic, with 62.1% on 7.3 attempts.

While Capela's 11.1 points per game on 60.4 TS% is still respectable, it's a major step in the wrong direction. Let's hope the long offseason gives Capela plenty of time to get right physically and mentally.

Defense - A

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

After Clint Capela exploded for 1 point in a Hawks loss to the Detroit Pistons on March 23, I gripped on Twitter that it would be impossible to get off his contract this summer. Every single blog boy on the planet expeditiously reminded me that not only is Capela valued because of his defense, but there are no untradable contracts in the NBA. To which I reply, in the words of Plankton, "Alright, I get it."

Capela is the anchor of the Hawks defense. If not for 'The Swiss Bank' playing cleanup for 28 minutes per game, the fifth-worst defense in the league would be even closer to the bottom. 

Clint Capela gets up for the BIG block on NBA TV.

Watch Here: https://t.co/rTTQ9EtLON pic.twitter.com/JtNaMADMs4

— NBA (@NBA) November 21, 2021

While the team's defensive rating was 1 point better with Capela off the floor, that can easily be attributed to the Hawks' second unit consisting of better overall defenders. Capela led the team in Defensive Win Shares and had the second-highest Defensive Box Plus/Minus among starters (John Collins was first). 

Development - C

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries and a short offseason led to Clint Capela regressing in his eighth season. His offensive game fell off a cliff, but his defense and rebounding were more valuable than ever. 

Unless this season was a significant statistical outlier, we might be looking at the beginning of Capela's downtrend. His minutes and efficiency have fallen precipitously since the 2017-18 season. 

Capela will have a full five months off between Game Five of the Miami Heat playoff series and the start of next season's training camp. Thanks to last year's contract extension, his money is safe. But now that he is eligible to be traded, his future with the Hawks is not set in stone. 

Overall Grade - B-

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

There is no question that the Hawks are a better team with Clint Capela on the floor. Despite his nagging injuries and regression, he was a net positive on the season. However, as I eluded earlier, his future in Atlanta is far from certain.

Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk has already said he wants to upgrade the roster this offseason. Couple the team's lack of financial flexibility with Capela's eligibility to be traded, and it is almost a foregone conclusion that his name will appear in trade talks beginning next month.

If the inevitable trade talks don't motivate Capela, then the rapid development of Onyeka Okongwu surely will. The 21-year-old is smaller and still has a ways to go before surpassing Capela (most notably on rebounding), but what he provides on a rookie contract makes the front office run a cost-benefit analysis of keeping Capela.

This extended summer vacation is vital to Capela getting his career back on track. Centers that don't stretch the floor are becoming as rare as Nike Air Yeezy's; let's just hope Capela holds up better as he exits the prime of his career.

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