[Jiujianglu] is back! Fulfilling the dream of 2018!

This year's offseason, the Rockets made frequent moves:

Ushering in Durant through a big deal, they instantly became the favorite to compete for the championship.

In addition to Durant, they also added a veteran center in the free market: Clint Capela.

The 31-year-old Capela, who was once the inside pillar of the Rockets at their peak, returned to Houston again after a full circle.

Looking back on Capela's story, it was never easy at the beginning.

He was born in a fatherless family and was forced to live in a foster home when he was young. My mother is from the Congo, moved around Italy, and finally ended up in Switzerland. She originally dreamed of becoming a film worker, but she was forced to run around day after day, supporting the whole family for her children alone.

Since he grew up in Europe, Capela initially preferred football. However, as his height continued to increase, his position on the football field was gradually restricted. Later, with the persuasion of his brothers, Capela chose to turn to basketball.

But such a temporary decision made this big man start a completely different life trajectory.

With his outstanding height and amazing jumping, Capela was quickly spotted by Swiss basketball. At the age of 13, his height exceeded 190 centimeters and he helped the Swiss youth team win the European Cup. This performance quickly attracted the attention of the French National Institute of Sport. This institution, which has produced countless top French athletes, provided Capela with more professional and systematic training.

At the age of 15, Capela officially entered the French professional arena, began to compete with adults, and his physical skills also improved rapidly. Such potential quickly attracted the attention of NBA scouts, especially the Rockets scout team.

"The best long man, as long as he takes off quickly enough, he can block shots with almost no need for any prediction."

In hindsight, the Rockets' evaluation of Capela was indeed quite accurate. But in addition to the excellent scouting report, Capela's shortcomings of a late start in basketball, rough skills, and immature sense of space are also obvious.

In 2014, 19-year-old Capela participated in the Nike Basketball Summit and represented the World Team. Although he only scored 5 points in the game, it still did not shake the Rockets' judgment. On the contrary, because other teams paid little attention to him, the Rockets successfully picked him up at the end of the first round.

When Capela first entered the league, his start was not smooth. During his rookie season, he barely got any playing opportunities and spent most of his time in the Development League to gain experience. Off the court, he faced language barriers, cultural differences, and unfamiliar life skills. He even had to rely on the help of staff to learn to drive.

But these problems are not serious. Capela still gets up early every morning to train and practices shooting at night. His body gradually becomes stronger and his steps become more solid. The team's coaches also began to notice his attitude and began to try to give him more opportunities.

The turning point occurred during the Rockets lineup adjustment period, when the playing styles of Howard and Harden in the team did not match. Howard likes to play in the low post, and Harden wants to use quick pick-and-rolls to open up space. The contradiction between the two gradually emerged, and the team urgently needed a new inside successor who was more suitable for the system.

At this time, Capela just meets the needs of the Rockets. He does not fight for the ball on the court and does not make unnecessary movements. He focuses on rebounding, defense and alley-oop finishing. Harden and his combination have a smooth and stable rhythm and have gradually become an indispensable finishing line under the Rockets' magic ball system. It was not until the 2017-18 season that Paul joined, and Capela's supporting value was further highlighted.

The dual-core combination of Paul and Harden allowed Capela to get more finishing opportunities in the pick-and-roll. He averaged 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game that season, and his reputation as the King of Pies spread like wildfire.

However, as the Rockets failed to win consecutive championships, Capela was also sent to the Hawks.

For the Hawks at that time, Capela was still a key puzzle piece. Protecting the basket, pick-and-roll screens, and rebounding protection were all his value.

Capela joined the Hawks in 2020. In his first season, he averaged 15.2 points, 14.3 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, successfully helping the team advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. And his pick-and-roll cooperation with Trae Young once became the team's most stable offensive and defensive combination.

But time is not forgiving. Age and repeated injuries have gradually slowed down his lateral speed and jumping reflexes, and the Eagles have slowly begun to turn their attention to potential star Okongwu, who is more flexible and more in line with the needs of modern small balls. Capela has retreated from the starting core to a rotation role. Last season, his average data dropped to 8.9 points and 8.5 rebounds, reaching a new low in the past nine seasons.

After the offseason, he returned to the familiar Rockets.

Compared with the pension contracts of other veterans, Capela's return is not just nostalgia, but more like a restart.

His mission in the Rockets is still very clear: protecting the frame, rebounding, and finishing alley-oops are still the things he needed to do last time. Although the small ball era pays more attention to mobility and defense switching capabilities, and Capela's lateral speed is obviously not as good as before, at least the deterrence at the basket is still there.

Ten years ago, he was the young man from Switzerland who couldn't even make a free throw. In his rookie year, he gave all his income to his mother and paid off twenty years of family debt, just to reassure his mother:

"I don't have to work anymore."

Now, he has returned to the Rockets Arena again, with a broken past behind him and a confused future ahead.

This return is not only to play for another season, but also to complete his unfinished business, help this team, and complete the championship trophy that is only one step away from reaching it in 2018.