Houston Rockets: Who is Clint Capela?

After a whirlwind of speculation in regard to what the Houston Rockets planned to do with their first-round pick at No. 25 — they decided to do what many of us fans didn’t expect from past experiences — they actually kept it.

Last night, with the 25th pick, the Rockets selected Swiss’ hoops star Clint Capela.

Capela, 20, will not make an immediate impact but will eventually do so over time. It has been said that he possesses similar characteristics to the Thunder’s Serge Ibaka.

Since the start of the Daryl Morey regime nearly a decade ago, the Rockets have tended to pick players that have tons of upside and Capela is that guy.

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton ranks him 2nd amongst top prospects with the most upside in this draft, right under Marcus Smart.

His 6’11”, 222-pound, slender frame will be one that will be reveled whenever he eventually makes that leap over to the States.  I’m also positive that his 7’4″ wingspan had the Rockets’ talent scouts salivating over his innate ability to shot block.

Capela averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 boards and 1.3 blocks while shooting 67.5 percent from the field while competing in the French Pro A and Euro Leagues this past season.

It seems that he does most of his damage around the basket, where he totally dominates ensuring any defender that steps in his path feels his wrath.

According to Capela’s profile on DraftExpress, Capela gets nearly half of his offense on cuts to the basket and put-backs.  It has also been said that length, explosiveness and touch around the hoop make him excellent finisher inside the paint.

But as mighty as he is on the inside, he seems to be powerless on the outside which is his kryptonite.  He doesn’t attempt that many jump shots — when we he does, he’s not all that accurate.  He connected on just 21 percent on those types of shots in the French and EuroCup leagues.

His free throw shooting is also suspect, Capela shot a meager 53 percent combined this past season.

The Houston Rockets’ take on the reason why they selected Capela:

Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s quick assessment via CSN Houston’s Adam Wexler:

Jonathan Feigen’s quote from Capela in regard to his desire to play this season, despite the Rockets being coy on the matter:

Rockets’ Guard Isaiah Canaan‘s fun, welcoming tweet:

I think Capela’s upside, albeit raw, is second-to-none and I think that he will be a formidable force for an NBA team one day — I just don’t see him with the Rockets.

But I applaud the Rockets for hedging their bets by selecting a foreign player because the buyout that they have to pay to release Capela from his contract in Switzerland does not count toward team salary.

It’s highly evident that the Rockets are tightening the purse strings to make sure they are the ultimate visible players in attempting to acquire a coveted heavy-hitter such as: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Love.

They want to make sure they get their man.

Welcome to the Houston Rockets Clint — even if it’s for a short stay.