3 reasons the Houston Rockets should want Tristan Thompson

3. Durability

For as much as Clint Capela has contributed to the Houston Rockets over the years, he’s proven himself to be very fragile, as he’s seemingly always injured. In fact, Capela is currently nursing a heel injury which has kept him out of each of the Rockets’ past two games.

This has prompted Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni to recently employ the small ball rotation, which won’t work against the Los Angeles Lakers, who have an abundance of size with JaVale McGee, Anthony Davis and former Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard on the roster. Capela’s injury history goes further than just the heel injury he currently has.

If you recall, Capela missed 4-6 weeks during the 2018-19 season due to a torn ligament in his thumb, which forced the Rockets to turn to Kenneth Faried, who was a great addition. Capela has already missed ten of the Rockets 49 games this season, and is on pace to miss the most games in a single season since his rookie year. Capela has already missed 25 games since the start of the 2018-19 season, and we’re only halfway done with this season.

This is one problem Tristan Thompson doesn’t have, as he’s only missed two games this season. Although Thompson has had a few bumps and bruises in the last few seasons, he’s been available for the Cavs buy and large when they’ve needed him. Thompson played in all 82 games for four consecutive seasons, and played in 406 games between the 2012-13 season and the 2016-17 season. By comparison, Capela has never played in all 82 games in a single season.

Next: No. 2