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Clint Capela had his first true taste of a full season in the NBA last year, averaging just under 20 minutes a game, scoring 7 points while pulling in 6.4 rebounds.
His performance and overall talent were enough to assure the Houston Rockets brass move that they can move on from Dwight Howard. This upcoming season, Capela will be asked to play even more than he did last year, probably between 10 and 15 more minutes per game.
During media day, Capela mentioned that he's bulked up, adding about 10-12 pounds to his frame. The added weight should allow him to be able to handle bigger centers down on the block, game in and game out.
One of the other areas Capela says he has improved is his free-throw shooting.
"Free-throw shooting has improved a lot," Clint Capela said, "now it's about confidence and the consistency of it."
Capela went on to mention that he did tinker a little with the mechanics of his free throw shot but most of it was mental.
Since joining the Rockets, free throws have not been Capela's strong suit. In 2014 he shot 17% from the stripe, and last year, while he improved, he was still shooting 37% one of the very worst marks in the league.
Hack-a-Capela will be a major problem next season, but if he can get up to around 60%, teams would think twice about fouling him. With a massive role awaiting him, the third-year player has approached his new opportunity the way you'd hope.