Playing time is getting less and less. If this continues, it will not be easy for the Rockets to send away new inside players?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Houston Rockets defeated the Toronto Raptors at home 139-121. After this game, the Rockets' record, which has won two consecutive victories, has improved to 2 wins and 2 losses; while the Raptors' record, which has suffered four consecutive losses, has dropped to 1 win and 4 losses.

Although the Rockets won this game, the performance of the team's backup center Clint Capela was obviously unsatisfactory. Capela played 6 minutes and 8 seconds, making 1 of 2 shots and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 4 points and 3 rebounds. His plus-minus value was as low as -9, the lowest in the team. It is worth mentioning that Capela is also the only player on the Rockets team with a negative plus-minus value, which can also illustrate how bad his performance in this game was. Capela still lacks stable scoring ability on the offensive end, and his characteristics in eating cakes and attacking the basket have not been fully utilized. Not only that, Capela is also somewhat targeted by opponents on the defensive end. He has no way to show his advantages in interior defense, and his shortcomings in movement speed have been further amplified. Also due to the unsatisfactory overall performance, Capela still has no way to get more playing time and performance opportunities.

In the NBA regular season last season, Capela played a total of 82 games. He was affected by injuries and played a total of 55 times on behalf of the Atlanta Hawks, including 41 games as a starter. The average playing time reached 21.4 minutes per game, with averages of 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks. There were also 0.9 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. The field goal percentage was 55.9% and the free throw percentage was 53.6%. In the previous preseason games, Capela played a total of 3 times for the Rockets, averaging 18.7 minutes per game. He averaged 7.3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0.7 blocks per game. He also had 0.3 turnovers and 2.7 fouls. He shot 62.5% from the field and 50% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Capela has averaged 7.9 minutes per game in the first four games, averaging 4.5 points, 2 rebounds, 0.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He also has 0.3 turnovers and 0.8 fouls. His field goal percentage is 87.5% and his free throw percentage is 100%.

Capela returned to the Rockets this summer with a three-year contract worth a total of $21.5 million. Considering that the Rockets have two excellent inside players, Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, in the Rockets lineup, not to mention that Capela's condition has declined significantly last season, many people were not optimistic about his arrival. It is difficult for Capela to play a more important role in the team now, and it seems that this situation is difficult to change in a short time. Even if the Rockets want to send Capela away and exchange for some valuable assets, it will be difficult for the Rockets to do this with Capela's performance. With only so much playing time, Capela's contract could easily become a junk contract, right?