What a garbage contract! But the Rockets still don’t believe that they want to keep him in the rotation?

In a previous NBA Cup game, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Houston Rockets at home 112-109 after a hard-fought battle. After this game, the Nuggets, who had won two consecutive victories, improved their record to 12 wins and 3 losses, and their ranking continued to rank second in the Western Conference; while the Rockets, who ended their five-game winning streak, saw their record drop to 10 wins and 4 losses, and their ranking also dropped directly to fifth place in the Western Conference.

In this game, the Rockets' new inside aid Clint Capela did not display his characteristics at all. Capela played 3 minutes and 45 seconds, made 0 of 2 shots, failed to score a point, and only contributed 1 steal, with a plus-minus of -8. Capela has no touch on the offensive end, and his scoring and finishing abilities at the basket have not been fully utilized, but he has shown his buttery hands. Capela's performance on the defensive end is also unsatisfactory. His movement speed and athletic ability are not as good as before, and he cannot have a good defensive effect on the court. Although he didn't play much time, Capela looked very embarrassed on both ends of the offense and defense, completely failing to show his value. Although Capela's limited playing time is not the reason why the team lost the game, it is obvious that he should do better.

In the NBA regular season last season, Capela played a total of 82 games. He was affected by injuries and played a total of 55 times on behalf of the Atlanta Hawks, including 41 games as a starter. The average playing time reached 21.4 minutes per game, with averages of 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks. There were also 0.9 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. The field goal percentage was 55.9% and the free throw percentage was 53.6%. In the previous preseason games, Capela played a total of 3 times for the Rockets, averaging 18.7 minutes per game. He averaged 7.3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0.7 blocks per game. He also had 0.3 turnovers and 2.7 fouls. He shot 62.5% from the field and 50% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Capela has played a total of 13 times in the first 14 games, averaging 9.7 minutes per game, averaging 3.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He also has 0.4 turnovers and 0.9 fouls. His field goal percentage is 60% and his free throw percentage is 80%.

Just looking at the data, you may not understand how bad Capela's performance on the court was. The Rockets' record so far this season is quite good, with a winning rate of over 70%. However, as a member of the rotation, Capela's average plus-minus per game is -0.8. The team has such a high winning rate, and he can have a negative plus-minus. Basically everyone can know how much negative impact he has on the team. In order to help Capela regain his form and increase his trade value, the Rockets continue to give him opportunities to play. However, the problem is that players whose abilities have declined will not improve their form due to the increase in playing time, and will only further expose their shortcomings. The Rockets letting Capela play in this way will only further reduce his trade value.