Houston Rockets center Clint Capela is out due to surgery in his leg. In regard to anticipate his six-week absence, head coach Mike D'Antoni has devised a new game plan to utilize the strength of Rockets bench players and other big men.
Capela was reported to have a broken fibula according to FOX Sports. He will undergo a surgery to fix his fractured fibula in his leg and expected to miss four to six weeks.
The Swiss-national player is a great rim protector and his skill in the paint to catch lob passes is unmatched in the current Houston Rockets roster. Therefore his absence may leave a dent in Rockets defense. But coach d’Antoni has already found the solution with optimizing backup center Nene and other big men.
His injury is considered minor according to Rockets general manager Daryl Morey as reported by USA Today. After a series of test doctor found a small left fibula fracture through MRI scan. His condition will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks.
In regard to the change of play without the 6’10” center and forward, coach d’Antoni utilized the available big men in the roster. In the 100-102 defeat against San Antonio Spurs last Tuesday night Dec. 20, Ryan Anderson, Nene and an Sam Dekker worked well hand in hand to ensure sufficient defense against agile offensive from the Spurs.
In the most recent game, Rockets defeated Phoenix Suns 125-111 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix this Wednesday night, Dec. 21. James Harden led the scoring and assist with 27 points and 17 assists, while point guard Patrick Beverley dominated the paint with 9 rebounds.
Following the succes to contain Phoenix Suns aggressive offense, Rockets now have 22-8 records and ranked third in the Western Conference trailed behind Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. They will visit Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum in the next two days before returning at their homecourt Toyota Center to host Phoenix Suns one night after Christmas.
Watch the amazing play by Capela last season to launch a one hand jam over LA Lakers forward Julius Randle from the official NBA YouTube channel below: