Clint Capela is sixth in the league in dunks this year, having slam-jammed the ball 94 times in 35 games. This is a vast improvement over last season, when he dunked just 99 times in 77 games. Most of the improvement can be attributed to James Harden and his lob-throwing prowess, but Capela himself shouldn’t be ignored here. The Capelmeister worked out all summer to develop himself into an elite lob target: he practiced his hard rolls to the basket, he practiced jumping really really high, and he practiced the dunking act itself, which isn’t as easy as it looks.
It’s also interesting to note that Capela is assisted on 98% of his dunks, a much higher number than the other players who populate the top of the dunk leaderboard. I imagine that DeAndre Jordan will sometimes get unassisted dunks if he picks up loose balls and rebounds near the basket. For some reason Capela doesn’t get any of those, or if he does, he never looks to dunk. I suppose the lesson here is you don’t want to iso Capela at the top of the three-point line and tell him to make his own dunk out of dribble penetration. But I still want to see him try it just one time.