Capela proving to be upgrade over Howard for surging Rockets

The Houston Rockets once moved heaven and earth to sign Dwight Howard four seasons ago, only to let him walk without a fight this summer.

Howard remains a top-class center, capable of anchoring the paint on both sides of the ball, and he continues to produce even in his early-30s. The Atlanta Hawks wanted Howard so badly they parted ways with franchise player Al Horford only to give Howard the highest annual salary of his career in his 13th season.

Losing a superstar for nothing would ordinarily spell death for a franchise, but in the case of Howard and the Rockets, there was a rising star lying in wait whose time had come.

The emergence of Clint Capela allowed the Rockets to forget all about the franchise center they once coveted so much.

"With Capela, and this is no knock against Dwight Howard, but he's an upgrade with how they play," ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy said on Friday's clash between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

No more drama

Howard made the mistake of being too good, yet not good enough during his time with the Rockets.

In an ideal world, Howard was the perfect fit. He could anchor Houston's defense, then serve as a secondary option playing pick-and-roll with the NBA's deadliest slasher in James Harden. That's what management envisioned when they united the two.

But Howard wanted no part of being a glorified version of Tyson Chandler. Howard instead demanded post touches - which were mostly inefficient - and would sometimes give poor effort on defense if the Rockets didn't cave to his wishes.

That led to friction between Houston's two stars. Harden preferred the lane to be uncluttered for his slaloming forays to the rim instead of feeding Howard in the low block. The two publicly denied any tension, but reports suggest both wanted each other traded as they jostled for top-dog status.

Ridding themselves of Howard's drama gave Harden the room to thrive. He skipped out on the Olympics to concentrate on the season, claimed ownership of the team, arranged a preseason workout for teammates, and showed up to training camp in far better shape compared to previous seasons.

"It brings a clarity," Van Gundy explained. "Everything is going through James Harden. There's no, 'give me the ball more in the low post, I'm going to hold your team hostage if I don't get it enough.'"

Knowing your role

Howard might be a better player on the whole, but it's Capela who represents the best fit for Houston. Capela has no such qualms about being limited to rim runs. He might not always get the ball coming off a high screen from Harden, but he also won't pout and won't break the gameplan.

When the pass does come, Capela finishes with alarming regularity. Capela ranks third in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage at 62.1 (Howard ranks fourth). He's scoring 1.21 points per possession as the finisher in the pick-and-roll - a mark higher than the likes of Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin.

As it happens, Howard is a hair below Capela at 1.20 points per pick-and-roll, but the difference is usage. Capela sticks with pick-and-rolls, whereas Howard loves to post up, despite not being particularly efficient at them.

"It's just a great fit as a roller to the rim, and he knows how to play, timing-wise, off Harden," Van Gundy said of Capela.

Mike D'Antoni's side ranks fourth in offensive rating at 113.9 - a mark better than any year with Howard. Trading inefficient post-ups for more pick-and-roll action with Harden is the biggest reason for that improvement. Shifting from Howard to Capela made it possible.

Money well spent

Parting ways with Howard also freed up resources to be spent elsewhere.

Capela earns $1.3 million, compared to $23 million for Howard, yet their per-36 minute production is virtually identical this season. Howard is a better defender on the whole and rebounds at a higher rate, but Capela provides far more value in the balance sheet.

With Capela covering nearly all of Howard's production, the Rockets were able to use the extra money to chase impact free agents. General manager Daryl Morey was able to snag a leading Sixth Man candidate in Eric Gordon, while also recruiting a premium floor spacer in Ryan Anderson. Both are capable of playing off Harden, while also being able to effectively get their own offense - a balance Howard never mastered.

As for Howard, his addition helped Atlanta maintain their top-notch defense. But he turned 31 last week and is starting his decline, whereas Capela is still growing as a player at the age of 22. Howard's Hawks have also crashed back to .500 following a hot start, while the Rockets rank third in the West having claimed signature wins over the Spurs and Warriors.

Houston picked Capela as their center of the future and they're a better team for it.