The Atlanta Hawks wrapped up their preseason on Thursday with a 127-92 win in a re-match against the Miami Heat. Ahead of that contest, Head Coach Nate McMillan gave an update on the health status of several players. Many were surprised to hear about some of the injuries we were previously unaware of.
Thankfully, most of those players are closer to returning than not.
Friday’s injury report included an update on Kevin Huerter, more good news on De’Andre Hunter, and some positive movement on Clint Capela.
Speaking of the latter, McMillan spoke on the Hawks being a very different team without the Swiss big man and 2021 rebounding champion, who had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in this one.
Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela is the team’s most impactful player by at least one metric
Capela led the NBA 14.3 boards per game, was fourth in blocks with a career-high 2.0 per game. He also finished second on the team in field goal percentage while averaging 15.2 points, the second-highest of his career. It’s was a really nice season for a player many equated to a dinosaur when the Houston Rockets traded him to go ultra-small.
The 6-foot-10 center’s impact goes beyond eating the glass, though. He’s also a terrific paint defender.
Still, that isn’t what makes Capela arguably the most impactful Hawks player, not on its own anyway.
I asked Trae Young how Clint Capela's presence transforms the Hawks:
— Sarah K. Spencer (@sarah_k_spence) October 15, 2021
"It's a big difference. He's one of the best big men in the league. He's one of the most underrated big men in the league; he doesn't get a lot of credit that he deserves. I hope he does this year."
By now, fans are familiar with the stat about Atlanta’s offensive rating plummets when its superstar point guard sits. The 12.4 points per 100 possessions drop is obviously the greatest on the team.
Less discussed is that his defensive impact is such that he winds up with just a plus-7.1 offensive rating differential.
John Collins, he of the $125 million deal, was plus-4.5 points per 100 possessions. That was just ahead of forward De’Andre Hunter, though he played in just 23 games. His plus-6.0 offensive rating differential is undone by slightly being a negative player on defense.
At the top of the list? Capela. His plus-10.5 differential is truly the result of his two-way impact on the floor.
Capela is one of four current Hawks to even have opponents sport a better offensive rating with him off of the court as opposed to on. The others were Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Skylar Mays. Anyone who watched the Hawks last season and during their run to the Eastern Conference Finals knows which of that quartet is most important.
This isn’t to say that Capela is the best player on the team. That designation still belongs to Young. Nor is it saying he is necessarily the most important. But, according to at least this one metric, he had the most impact, on both ends of the court on this team last season.