On Oct. 22, one week into the 2018-19 NBA season, we identified three potential statistical trends in the making for the Houston Rockets. Now 10 games into the season, let’s revisit those observations to determine whether or not they’ve yet borne fruit.
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 30: Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 30, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
Clint Capela’s scoring output
Clint Capela has seen a noteworthy increase in offensive production to start the season, and there is reason to believe the scoring output is sustainable. Through his first three contests, he has averaged 16.7 points per game, compared to his 2017-18 average of 13.9.
The spike in scoring is not the result of a few conspicuously efficient outings. In fact, Capela has fallen far short of his 65.2 field goal percentage from last season. What we have seen is a rise in field goal attempts. Where Capela attempted 9.1 per game in 2017-18, he has averaged 13.0 per game to begin this year’s campaign.
Capela has settled into a less aggressive medium, but is still producing at a high level. His effectiveness in the pick-and-roll has been one of the few consistently bright spots for the Rockets through their suboptimal start. Now averaging 15.7 points on 11.3 shot attempts per game, he is the Rockets’ third-leading scorer behind Chris Paul, leapfrogging Eric Gordon.