The Houston Rockets' big-time offseason acquisition; Chris Paul, has joined more than just the likes of James Harden in a potent Mike D'Antoni offense. The dime maestro has also benefitted from the meteoric rise of center Clint Capela, who has turned an All-Star backcourt into a Big Three powerhouse that can now contend with the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference throne.
Following an eighth straight win against the Dallas Mavericks, Paul pointed at Capela as the “backbone” of this team, and a pivotal reason why they've strived to be where they are this season.
“CC is everything to our team,” said Paul in a post-game interview with NBA TV. “Me and James probably on him more than anyone else because he’s really the backbone of this team.”
“Without him rolling to the basket, without him defending the paint… CC is the guy — he just continues to get better and we're gonna continue using him.”
“Me and James probably on him more than anyone else because he’s really the backbone of this team.” @cp3 on @CapelaClint's contributions. #GameTime pic.twitter.com/xeDXOK9lYV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 12, 2018
Capela has added a soft touch around the basket and a much-improved instinct in the pick-and-roll action to his arsenal, largely aided by working with one of the best pick-and-roll assassins in the game in Paul.
His 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks against the Mavericks are only a small sample of what Paul expects him to do, as he recently hauled in a monster game against the Denver Nuggets, becoming the first player to put 20 points and 25 rebounds in 29 minutes or fewer.
As the Swiss international keeps tapping into his potential, Paul and Harden will make opportunities available to him, as he's shooting a career-high 65.5 percent from the field.
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