Clint Capela stepped out of Dwight Howard's shadow after the end of the 2015-16 season, given the opportunity to start as the All-Star big man made his way to his hometown Atlanta Hawks after three seasons in Houston. While Capela has forged a future as the Houston Rockets' starter, his goal is to replicate Howard's chiseled frame, which made him such a dominant force early in his career.
“I’ve been working on that [strength] so it helps,” Capela told Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “Of course, getting stronger, more minutes, playing with the same guys helps. I’m just trying to stay engaged. I start off solely to stabilize and utilize to know what I’m doing before every game, what makes me and my body feel good. All of that helps me grow this year.”
It didn't take long for Capela to invoke Howard's name when it comes to his #bodygoals.
“He was dominating,” Capela said of Howard’s physique. “He was always taking care of his body. Did his work, and went out there and just dominated. He was huge!”
Both shared quite the unique relationship, as Capela was Howard's understudy during his first two years in the NBA.
“He was this big man, and I was this big boy,” Capela recalled, unable to keep a stoic expression.
Capela could only look to more minutes when Howard landed in Atlanta.
“I didn’t know [I would be the starting center] until he [Howard] left so I just did my job,” Capela said. “Whenever I was given the opportunity I did my best to take it.”
The Swiss international recently received a five-year, $90 million contract with the Rockets after improving each and every season, recently posting 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game in 2017-18 — his best season to date.