On Thursday night, Hawks center Clint Capela returned to the lineup after missing nine games with back spasms. The veteran big man had some rust to shake off, but he was happy to get back to doing what he loves.
Capela initially felt a twinge following a fall in a game last month, and the Hawks ruled him out shortly after. But the injury also lined up with the weeks leading to the NBA’s trade deadline earlier this month, with many wondering if Capela’s absence had any correlation to the team trying to move him.
The 30-year-old remained on the Hawks roster past the Feb. 6 trade deadline, but he did not suit up for the four games that followed. The Hawks wanted to ramp him up after he missed the five games leading to the deadline, and with the All-Star break on the horizon it would give the veteran time to attack his rehab in earnest.
Capela rested to ease the spasms, and when they subsided, he returned to the gym and began lifting weights. He kept his mind focused on trying to help the team and his teammates still felt his presence.
“I mean, I think it’s more awkward for the fan, rather than us in the locker room,” Hawks guard Trae Young said when asked if there was any awkwardness with Capela’s return to the locker room. “I think us as players, we all get it. We all understand what it means being in a trade talk, or being in rumors, things like that, is like. So, I don’t think it’s awkward within the players and things like that.”
Capela understands the nature of the business, and it serves as a reminder to him to savor every moment he plays on the court, especially with how quickly things can change.
Last month, the Hawks opted to move Onyeka Okongwu into the starting lineup. It was the first time Capela has not been a regular starter since the 2016-17 season, his third in the NBA.
Hawks coaches had a conversation with Capela following a meeting before the Jan. 20 game against the Knicks in New York, where he learned about the change of direction. Though not an easy thing for him to process, Capela understood the move, especially with how much his minutes have fluctuated this season.
Capela has averaged fewer than 25 minutes for the first time in his career since 2016-17, but he continues to provide the Hawks with strong defense. In his return to the court Thursday, Capela played several partial possessions defending Paolo Banchero.
Though Banchero, a No. 1 overall NBA draft pick, scored 36 points in the contest, Capela’s ability to take up space changed the trajectory of some of his attempts to get to the basket.
“We’ve seen Clint block a shot,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “We’ve seen him defensive rebound. And one of the things I think that he did tonight, and he said before, it’s when he is locked in, down in the stance, defending, out on the floor I think sometimes, because he’s a center, that you can lose track of those things. And he really took a challenge in the second half, particularly in pick and roll. It was good to see.”
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