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Jan 7, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) dunks the ball during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Expect Clint Capela to Play Big Role in Second Half of Season for Rockets

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Lachard Binkley | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 3:14 PM ET

During an early February game in Dallas against the Mavericks, the Rockets were down big early. The Mavericks had just made one of the strangest trades in NBA history as they sent their franchise player, Luka Doncic, to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The Feb. 9 game vs the Houston Rockets was his first time on the court post-trade.

During that game, Ime Udoka decided to try a rarely used lineup to see if the Rockets could get back in the game. Udoka chose to play both Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams together in the front court to try to compete with the size of Davis and Daniel Gafford in the paint.

That move turned a blowout game into a competitive one by the fourth quarter, and even though the Rockets would come up short, the move to a double-big lineup transformed the rest of the Rockets' season. From that game on, the Rockets would dominate the boards as they finished with their best rebounding season in the last fifty years.

The Rockets were already a good rebounding team before the double-big lineup, but after the change, the Rockets were able to use rebounding as a weapon. Adams and Sengun shone together in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors so much so that Steve Kerr at times would go to hack-a-Steven to try and get Udoka to sub him out.

Clint Capela will be a Significant Part of the Second Half of the Season

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Rockets knew they had something they could continue to use into the next season and decided to go all in on the double big lineup by signing Clint Capela. The surprise signing brought Caplea back to the team that initially drafted him. The signing was a surprise because Capela would be third on the Rockets' depth chart.

Even at 32, Capela could still start for several teams or, at the very least, play as a backup center — not a third-string center, as he will be on the Rockets. However, Rafael Stone spoke about Capela during a post-practice interview, stating that the Rockets' use of a double-big lineup played a big part in the signing.

The more you think about it, the more it makes sense. The Rockets slowly worked Adams into the lineup last season as he had missed significant time in his previous two seasons. Even after he started to play more minutes last season, the Rockets still held him back in one of the two back-to-back games.

Adams was able to finish last season without any issues, but the Rockets will more than likely still take the cautious approach with the veteran center. That is where Capela comes in, especially the second part of the season.

The reason for that is the Rockets play only one of their back-to-back games before January. That means from January to the end of the regular season, the Rockets play 13 sets of back-to-back games. The Rockets coaching staff hasn't confirmed yet that Adams will sit out some games, but the main reason you bring a player like Capela to your team is to have the ability to rest Sengun, but more importantly, Adams.

Last season, the Rockets had three centers on the roster, but they utilized Jock Landale far less than they will Capela this season. We may even see times where Capela steps in for Adams early in the season to have all three centers rested as much as possible for the playoffs.

However, the Rockets have decided to use Capela this upcoming season. One thing is for sure: the Rockets will have the best center rotation in the NBA.

This article first appeared on Houston Rockets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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