Atlanta Hawks: Looking at the free throw numbers of Clint Capela

The Atlanta Hawks have benefitted greatly from the trade they completed last season which netted them Clint Capela. He was not able to play until this season but has transformed the Hawks for the better.

He is the league’s leading rebounder and is third in blocked shots. His presence in the paint has changed the way that opposition teams attack the Hawks. He has allowed the perimeter defenders to play their opponents closer, knowing that if they get beaten, Capela will be there to back them up.

Offensively Capela has been a really nice surprise. He is one of Trae Young’s favorite targets close to the rim for an alley-oop. On top of that, he is averaging 4.7 offensive rebounds and has developed a really good left-handed finish. However, it is his free throw shooting which is what we are going to focus on.

The Atlanta Hawks have some interesting results with Clint Capela’s free throws

More from Soaring Down South

• Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
• Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
• When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
• Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
• Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal

Capela is the second-worst free-throw shooter on the Atlanta Hawks squad, shooting his 3.6 attempts at 59.0 percent. The only worse shooter on the squad is Onyeka Okongwu who is shooting his 1.2 attempts at 58.5 percent.

Drilling down into the numbers a bit, Capela has taken six free throws or more in 12 different games so far this season. The Hawks have won 11 of these games which shows the impact of the big man getting to the line.

Conversely, in the 23 games where Capela has taken two free throws or less, the Hawks are 7-16 which also shows the impact of Capela getting to the line. A big part of why this is the case, Capela tends to be hacked when it is a close game.

To Capela’s credit, he is making a lot of the free throws when the pressure is on at the end of the game. Capela has so many teammates who shoot the ball above 80 percent from the line. In the past eight games, Capela is shooting the ball at 70 percent from the line. If he keeps this up he could have his best season from the line in his career.