Clint Capela added to his impressive season in last night’s win

Last night, Clint Capela had another great game to add to his impressive season so far.

Clint Capela has really become the near-All-Star the Rockets needed this year. He has improved his game in just about every way and become a threat on both ends of the court.

Last night, he continued a great stretch of games that has included 8 double-doubles in his last 10 games. He finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 10/11 from the field and 5/6 from the free throw line. He also added a block and a steal in a matchup against one of the best centers in the league, Karl-Anthony Towns.

On the year, Capela is averaging an impressive 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while also blocking 1.8 shots per game. These stats are easily career-highs for the big man from Switzerland.

Free throw shooting

One specific aspect of his game that he’s improved is his free throw shooting. He worked hard over the offseason and is shooting them at nearly 60%, over 10% higher than his career percentage.

He’s also been able to finish at a high rate, leading the league in field goal percentage at 66%. This is the second-straight year that Clint has shot over 60% from the field.

Take a look at this play from last night where he absolutely embarrasses Towns:

.@CapelaClint with a dunk to start off the 2nd half! pic.twitter.com/YlVgswlpZW

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 24, 2018

Re-signing Clint Capela

One of the most difficult parts of the offseason next year is expected to be retaining Capela. The Rockets have his bird rights and he is a restricted free agent, but surely some team will try to give him a max contract.

According to Kelly Iko today, though, the Rockets appear to have a pretty good chance at retaining him:

Clint Capela told me he hasn’t had any discussions about his pending free agency, but he isn’t worried—it should be an easy decision. Says he’s having so much fun with this group and focused on winning a championship. #Rockets

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) February 24, 2018

If the Rockets can somehow convince him to take less than he’s worth or waiting to sign, that will go a long way in securing a third star. However, the Rockets are rolling right now, so this group may be the best answer. We’ll see starting in the middle of April!

Next: P.J. Tucker says the Rockets are the deepest team he's seen