Studs and duds from loss as injuries pile up again for the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks stud as injuries pile up: Clint Capela’s is healthy and it’s showing

We’re almost running out of superlatives for Clint Capela and all that he brings to the team. He had 16 points and a whopping 21 rebounds against the Knicks with three blocks, one steal, and one assist. The points tie his third-highest total of the season. But the rebounds are a new high for the campaign.

It brings him to 12.1 points and 12.7 boards per game on the season, numbers that include his slow start coming off of an offseason knee procedure.

Admittedly not his usual self, Capela recently declared himself so and it shows. He is currently third in the NBA in rebounds after leading the league last season. But he also leads the league over the last eight games with 15.1 boards per contest.

Capela is also first among centers in steals over that span.

Hawks opponents’ offensive rating is surprisingly 6.2 points better with Capela on the floor this season. But, again, a lot of that is thanks to his start. The Hawks offensive rating is 13.3 points better with him. Both numbers should normalize the deeper we get into the season. But it goes to show how big of an impact he’s had despite not being fully healthy.

It couldn’t be coming at a better time either, despite their first loss in some two weeks. The Hawks have already essentially removed Gorgui Dieng from the rotation.

Even if they give him regular minutes again, Atlanta will undoubtedly need even more from Capela given the other big takeaway from this game.