Houston Rockets center Clint Capela has a clear financial incentive to rebound well, especially on the defensive end, and that’s exactly what he continues to do as the calendar turns to 2020.
Entering Wednesday, the 6-foot-10 Capela ranked second in the NBA to Detroit’s Andre Drummond with an average of 14.2 rebounds per game.
Perhaps most importantly to the Swiss big man, that total includes a 31.6% defensive rebounding rate. Under his current contract, Capela can earn an additional $500,000 each year if he plays 2,000 minutes and finishes with a 30% or better defensive rebounding rate.
At the moment, with the 2019-20 campaign nearing its halfway point for the Rockets, the 25-year-old is tracking to meet both of those marks.
The incentives on Clint Capela's contract, per a league source: $1 million for reaching the Western Conference finals, $500,000 for finishing with a 30% defensive rebounding rate, and $500,000 for shooting at least 65% from the free throw line. Those are for each of the 5 seasons
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 27, 2018
Besides what it means for Capela personally, his likelihood of receiving (or not receiving) any of those bonuses might even influence the team’s strategy at the February trade deadline, since it could raise or lower the team’s projected end-of-season payroll for luxury tax purposes.
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Capela is unlikely to receive his bonus for 65% free-throw shooting, since he’s now at 51.2% this season. (He is improving, though, at 76.5% over his last four games.) The largest bonus — whether the Rockets make the Western Conference Finals — is months away from being decided.
As far as the rebounding component, though, it’s remarkable how Capela still continues to improve. Now in his sixth NBA season, Capela has increased his rebounding average in each season to date — rising by 3.4 after his first season, and then by 1.7, 2.7, and 1.9 in the following years.
To this point, Capela’s average of 14.2 rebounds per game is up by 1.5 from his 12.7 total in 2018-19, his fifth season. In an identical 33.6 minutes per game, Capela has lifted his defensive rebounding by more than two per game — from 8.2 last year to 10.3 this season.
In turn, that has helped boost Capela’s defensive rebounding rate from 27.6% to 31.6%, putting him comfortably above the bonus threshold.
In late November and early December, Capela grabbed 19 or more rebounds in eight consecutive games, which was the longest such streak by any NBA player going back to 1969. He has seven games of 20 or more rebounds this season, which matches his entire total from the first five seasons (295 games) of his career combined.
💪 @CapelaClint (22 PTS, 9/9 FGM, 21 REB) becomes the first player since 1976 to grab 19+ rebounds in 8 consecutive games. #OneMission pic.twitter.com/qTWZNWtEhR
— NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2019
Capela’s contributions have also sparked a much improved showing on the glass for the entire team. Entering Wednesday, Houston ranked No. 5 in the NBA with an average of 47.1 rebounds, up significantly from their No. 28 placement last season at 42.1 per game.
Capela missed two games in late December with a right heel contusion, which may have contributed to two of his lower rebounding games of the month (11, 10) in the Dec. 25 and Dec. 31 games immediately preceding and following his absence.
But after getting multiple off days to rest after the New Year’s Eve game, Capela responded with one of the best showings of his career with 30 points (75% shooting) and 14 rebounds in 37 minutes versus the Philadelphia 76ers (24-14) and All-Star big man Joel Embiid.
Coming off an even longer rest period with four consecutive days off, Capela should have every opportunity to keep his momentum rolling when the Rockets (24-11) take on the Hawks (8-29) on Wednesday night in Atlanta. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central.
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