All Hawks

Clint Capela Leads NBA in Rebounds Over Last Month

The Atlanta Hawks big man is back.

Pat Benson

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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Too many basketball fans have amnesia when it comes to Clint Capela. After leading the league in rebounds last season, the big man spent the summer rehabbing a nagging Achilles injury. It knocked him out of all conventional methods of conditioning. 

As a result, Capela had to play his way into shape during the month of October. Imagine trying to overcome a scary injury while facing Jarrett Allen, Joel Embiid, Motrezl Harrell, and Nikola Jokic. All of whom have had the Hawks game circled on their calendar since the schedules were released in August.

I know we have all seen too many graphs displaying exponential growth over the past 21 months. But that's what Capela's production has resembled since early to mid-November. 'The Swiss Bank' has accrued double-digit rebounds in all but one game since November 8. Over the past month (November 16), Clint Capela leads the NBA with 14.3 rebounds per game. 

In fact, no player in the league who plays 30 minutes or less has more rebounds than Capela this entire season. Again, this is happening as he works his way back into shape while all on the job. Couple that with how he's constantly forced out of the lane to help out with the Hawks glaring defensive deficiencies. All of the haters and Twitter trolls can take a seat now.

Capela's return to rebounding supremacy doesn't mean he's done improving. One area where the Hawks need more from their team's anchor is finishing around the rim. Capela shoots 62% on 7.3 shot attempts within 5-feet on the rim. No other post player in the league with 7 or more attempts in that range shoots a lower percentage. Finesse and touch aren't the problems, Capela has a tendency of rushing his shots in the paint.

The Hawks just aren't right at the moment. They will continue treading water until they get more key players back from injuries over the next few weeks. In the meantime, they will lean heavily on their big three. Luckily, Trae Young's enjoying an MVP-caliber season, John Collins is making a case for an All-Star selection, and Clint Capela's returning to his rightful throne atop the league in rebounding. 

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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