10 NBA Players Who Took Huge Leaps This Season
Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
Unlike Oladipo, Clint Capela was really freakin' good in 2016-17. He was limited to just 23.9 minutes per game last season, but he was a beast from an efficiency standpoint.
Somehow, he was able to find ways to improve even further this season -- doubling his nERD and improving across the board, as you can see depicted below.
| Clint Capela | nERD | PPG | RPG | BPG | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 6.1 | 12.6 | 8.1 | 1.2 | 21.4 |
| 2018 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 10.8 | 1.9 | 24.5 |
Fun Fact: Capela finished second in the league in alley-oop finishes, behind only Anthony Davis, as 26.1% of his field goals came off of alley-oops.
Capela actually finished the season with the league's eighth-highest nERD, while also ranking in the top-five in blocks per game, offensive rebounds per game, and field goal percentage. Not too shabby, considering he is still just 23 years of age.
It is unclear just how much of Capela's statistical improvement is his own doing and how much of it is the fact that James Harden and Chris Paul make him look that much better on paper. A whopping 81.9% of his field goals were assisted, as Capela still hasn't developed the ability to score on his own with any consistency. He still ranked in the bottom 10.3% percentile on post-up plays, so there is plenty development still to be had.
However, Capela's improvement as a defender and rebounder cannot be understated, and he is a vital piece of this 65-win Houston Rockets squad.
