“Running it back” has been the newfound slogan for the Houston Rockets as they enter the 2018-19 season. For newly paid center Clint Capela, more playing time will only solidify his talents as a marquee big man who can do more than dunk, protect the rim and rebound, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. 

“Every minute that I play, I have to earn it,” stated Capela, “Lately I've been playing good so I get more minutes. Even when I don't play as much, Coach [D'Antoni] gets to give opportunities to other guys out there so it's okay. For me , I want to be out on the floor during important games, and the close games. I want to be out with them on the court.”

Capela has made it known that after watching the Rockets be a mere win away from the NBA Finals, no game is taken for granted — not even in the regular season.

“Every game is important, it doesn't matter,” he adds. “In the NBA you have to be ready every night.”

Capela knows there are areas he can improve. Certain skills have naturally improved over time, such as weight and his diet, but his free-throw shooting is an obvious area that could use more touching up. His free-throw percentage has increased every year as he shows ritual patience to his pre-game charity stripe routine with player development coach Jon Lucas, but his 65.2 percent mark could still be better.

Capela also knows stepping out to shoot mid-range jumpers is out of his current territory, but he understands its necessity against today's agile big men and stretch centers who can dominate and confuse defenses from inside as well as with jumpers.

Capela has seen a lot in his young career, from a mentorship with Dwight Howard to being a key factor alongside floor leaders in Chris Paul and James Harden. Capela reached out to Paul in the immediate aftermath of CP3's move to Houston to glean knowledge from the future Hall of Famer, and the big man had even already started studying tapes of the point guard's chemistry with DeAndre Jordan.

Capela is eager to learn, and as he gets ready for a new season with the arrival of Carmelo Anthony, the young big man continues to prepare himself diligently in hopes of getting more playing time and becoming an All-Star.