The Atlanta Hawks improved their team defense out of sight last season. The main reason for this was the addition of pivot Clint Capela. They received Capela via trade from the Houston Rockets, only having to give up a future second-round pick and Evan Turner.
Capela put up some amazing numbers last season. He led the NBA in rebounds per game and was top-5 in blocks per game. He was even able to collect his first triple-double which included an amazing ten blocks against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Hawks were so impressed by the way that Capela played that they signed him to a two-year extension which now has him tied to the franchise until the end of the 2025 season which locks in their core of Trae Young, John Collins, and Capela for at least the next four seasons.
The Atlanta Hawks defense will keep getting better
With Capela as the pivot, the voice behind his perimeter defenders, as he continues to play with his teammates the chemistry will continue to develop between them. The best thing for the Hawks is that they will get back two of their better defenders in Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter.
This means that the defense will get even better for the Hawks as Hunter takes the best opposition wing every night. Reddish is the most disruptive defender on the squad and both of these players barely played with Capela last season. The Swiss pivot will work with these two in an effort to make like harder for the opposition.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the three legends Clint Capela needs to study.