Why Clint Capela is the best backup big the Lakers can afford

Clint Capela fits the Lakers as the most talented big man on the free agent market available for what they have to offer.

It’s no secret the Lakers will be on the hunt for centers this offseason. Big man options are bleak among free agents, and the price looks to continue to go up for the position.

LA doesn’t have many options either, as their only lucrative salary marker above the minimum, barring massive pay cuts, will be the taxpayer mid-level exception, set at $5.6 million.

The name most often mentioned is Clint Capela, whose decline from a starter to backup might make him the ideal fit for this available contract slot.

Capela put up 8.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in just over 21 minutes a night for the Hawks. The points and rebounds per game averages were among the lowest of his career.

The once young, twitchy, uber athletic center in Houston now labors much more up and down the floor. He started 41 games before being sent to the bench in the middle of January. An apparent drop-off from his prime, the 6’10 center can still have a high impact, but requires a specific role to thrive — a match for the Lakers, who perhaps can provide that situation.

LA’s foremost place of need is on the defensive end, where the now 11-year veteran utilizes his experience to compensate for the athletic decline. Listed at 240 pounds, he is no longer a high-fly act, but still uses verticality with crafty timing to secure stops at the basket.

In the clip below, watch him time the help on the Giannis Antetokounmpo drive, contesting at the rim on the weak side for the stop.

Capela averaged just one block per game last year, the lowest average since his rookie season when he appeared in just 12 games.

The low block numbers haven’t changed the impact on his contests. Per NBA’s tracking data, players shot 10.2% worse when he’s defending around the paint, ranking 12th among centers appearing in at least 40 games, right ahead of Rudy Gobert and behind another Lakers hopeful target, Walker Kessler.

Capela led all centers in total charges with nine. Attempting to take charges is unusual for centers, and the number is not particularly large. Still, it reveals a shift towards being more of a positional defender, where he leverages his weight and size over his jumping ability.

Where teams look to exploit Capela is his lack of foot speed, especially during closeouts against pick-and-pop threats. While he can switch onto the perimeter in particular matchups, Capela mainly plays in a conservative drop coverage, which has clear weaknesses to exploit, as shown below.

While still only 31 years old now, the capacity to contain and close back out to a shooter is too much space for him to cover these days. Even so, the infusion of defensive experience with size would be a welcome addition to LA’s center rotation.

On the offensive end, it’s a relatively straightforward mix of dunks and layups. Going from the high pick-and-roll volume of Trae Young to Luka Doncic and LeBron should make for an easy basketball transition.

Even with the athletic dip, he still can catch lobs off the screen and roll, as demonstrated in the clip below.

Open dunks and layups are also all you want him to take. Capela shot just 39.4% on shots in the paint outside the restricted area and 62.7% on shots at the rim, ranking in the bottom five in both for centers who attempted a minimum of two per game.

He has very little touch around the basket on runners and hook shots like the one shown below.

Expecting him to lead in offensive production or post-up play is outside his offensive repertoire. He’s a solid screener and contributes on that end as a dominant offensive rebounder, averaging 3.2 per game.

What you lose in versatility, you gain in competency at the position. While no longer a starting-caliber center, Capela has appeared in 87 playoff games playing essentially the role he will be asked to play on the Lakers. He’s not a perfect player by any means, but no free agent center blends age, talent, and experience at the financial cost he should, making it a real potential match for LA this summer.