Clint Capela truth the Rockets must realize before it's too late

The Houston Rockets will be playing their double big man lineups throughout the year. They should consider making Clint Capela a higher priority in their rotation.

It would be a deviation from the original plan. The Rockets started Steven Adams alongside Alperen Sengun in the season opener. They obviously like the immense rebounding advantage Adams gives them.

Fair. Adams is perhaps the strongest player in the NBA. He gives the Rockets an edge nobody else can. This piece won't advocate for removing him from the lineup or trading him:

Necessarily.

Rockets must weigh all options

Above all else, the Rockets cannot draw conclusions about their rotation based on a single game. Still, it's notable that against the Thunder, Capela was +5 in just 8 minutes.

Adams was just +2, but he played 37 minutes. Obviously, you can't compare the two on that basis alone. That said, anyone who watched this game should have been encouraged by what they saw from Capela.

His chemistry with Sengun is already developing. Giving Sengun a lob threat is a way to capitalize on his floor vision. If Sengun can continue to hit threes, it's possible that he and Capela could be a surprisingly conventional duo.

Could he replace Adams in the rotation?

Rockets need to play both backup bigs

Let's get more data before we go there:

A lot more data.

Part of getting more data would be giving Capela more minutes. There's no reason why Adams should play 37 to his 8. Ideally, the Rockets would split those 45 minutes more evenly. Why not 25 for Adams and 20 for Capela?

It would create plenty of advantages. To begin with, we know Adams is injury-prone. Giving Capela more of his time would preserve his body for the playoffs if the Rockets feel that Adams is essential to the game plan.

That said, Adams's $13 million contract could be very useful in a deadline trade for backcourt depth. If the double big concept operates as well with Capela, trading Adams for a guard and adding another big on the buyout market could be the best route to improvement for this club.

Who knows? This could all be part of the plan. It shouldn't shock anyone if Capela gets the nod in Friday's contest vs. the Pistons. It's a long season, and the Rockets will inevitably experiment. Who knows?

They may find their new primary backup big man in the process.