The seasons follow one another and are similar for the Hawks. For the second in a row, they find themselves stuck in the race for the play-in. Currently 11th in the East, with 18 wins for 27 losses, and Dejounte Murray potentially leaving before the trade deadline, Atlanta is sadly wandering in the soft underbelly.
In the middle of this doldrums is Clint Capela. The Swiss pivot was warm but without a clear answer to explain the new defeat, this time against the Warriors, and the disappointing first part of the season for his team when we interviewed him in the visiting locker room at the Chase Center, after a strong evening in emotions.
The interior was smiling again when discussing the emergence of Jalen Johnson, his young teammate, and giving us his opinion on Joël Embiid's season and on his discovery of Victor Wembanyama.
Clint, there were a lot of emotions before this match with the ceremony in honor of Dejan Milojevic. Did you know him, and how we prepare for such a special match?
I didn't know him personally. It's always difficult, it's a little weird, especially at the start of the match. It's hard to increase the intensity. We had no choice so we had to deal with it. It was special tonight but after the first quarter, that's when everyone really got into the game.
I imagine that for Igor Kokoskov, your assistant coach, and for Bogdan Bogdanovic, both Serbian and who knew “Deki”, it was a delicate evening.
Yes for Bogdan, it was not easy. We tried to console him because we saw him crying. I went to console him a little before the start of the match. Once the match started, “business is back” as they say and he was able to get into his match.
“Given the team we have on paper, we should be much better than what we have shown so far”
Like last season, you had a disappointing first part of the season (18 victories – 27 defeats after the following setback against Dallas), how do you explain this 11th place in the East?
(he sighs for a long time) Either way, we have to continue fighting, we have no choice. Given the team we have on paper, we should be much better than what we have shown so far. So, we will continue to try to find solutions, find automatisms, and try to progress. That's all we can do.
Defense has never been your strong point, and yet you have regressed compared to last season, notably leaving a lot of shots and success close to the circle since the start of the season…
133 points conceded, 62 in the racket, it's too much, it's too much. The last two, three games, we hadn't conceded that much… After tonight, Golden State, Steph, Klay, these are players who are always special to defend. They move around a lot, they can catch fire pretty quickly if you're not careful. And then there were also a few whistles… doubtful, I would say. But that's how it is.
Before this evening's meeting, you had made progress over the last two weeks, what were the main reasons for this uptick?
There was a lot more defensive discipline. We made our opponents work harder before they took their shots. We simply offered more resistance. Well this evening it was less the case but honestly I think it could have been worse so we still fought well.
You've been coached by Quin Snyder for almost a year. How would you describe his style compared to coaches you've known in the past, like Nate McMillan for example?
He is much more precise, much more precise in what he asks of us in attack. He tries to establish a framework while letting us play. What is proposed is more detailed.
“Jalen Johnson has extraordinary athletic qualities. He can ride the ball, he can shoot 3-pointers, and he's improved a lot over the last two years. Now the key for him is consistency”
What is the gaming identity he is trying to establish?
He wants to avoid overusing the pick & roll. Firstly, he tries to set up play movements to occupy the defense and the pick & roll or isolation comes more at the end of the possession or as a last option.
Was it difficult to get to grips with this new style of play at the end of last season on the job and this season?
This is new because last year, he didn't really have time to establish his playing principles as he wanted. We have confidence in our approach, we must not give up and see if we can get back on track.
One of the positive points of your season is the emergence of Jalen Johnson. Quin Snyder inserted him into the rotation to finish last season, he is the starter this season. Are you surprised by his season or did you see it coming?
Yeah ! I knew he had really interesting potential. He has extraordinary athletic qualities. He can ride the ball, he can shoot 3-pointers, and he's improved a lot over the last two years. So I'm not surprised because he worked for this opportunity. Now the key for him is consistency. In the NBA, you often see players who have several good games in a row but you have to confirm once defenses pay more attention to you. And I think he has the qualities to find this consistency over several seasons.
Like last season, there are always a lot of rumors surrounding your team.
Yeah, always. Always.
Last season it was John Collins, this season it's Dejounte Murray and your name is also mentioned. With experience, is it easier to manage?
I'm not going to lie to you, we live in a world where the media is everywhere so you hear the rumors but then you can't do anything about it. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't happen, too bad. In both cases, all I can do is stay focused and play my game. But considering our record, it's normal. It's normal for leaders to ask questions and want to bring about change. It's part of the NBA business.
For several seasons, you have always been one of the most skillful players in the league. However, your two-point success percentage has dropped this season (56.7%). What do you attribute it to?
It's a bit of the new style of play and the way I'm involved that has changed. But in my career, I've already finished seasons with the best success percentage in the league so I'm not too worried about it. I remain aggressive and if there is a drop in percentage too bad, frankly I don't care. I'm not going to doubt it though. If it goes down, it goes down, and who knows maybe next season there will be an improvement compared to this year.
“Victor Wembanyama is so long, it’s excessive. When his teammates pass him towards the circle and he catches it and puts it in without forcing… It's crazy, we've never seen that! »
A few days ago, Joël Embiid scored 70 points against Victor Wembanyama's Spurs. You play in the same position, what is the difference between the Joël of two, three years ago and the one of this season?
It's simple, this season he has the ball on every action. On every attack, he has the ball and he does what he wants. It's different from last seasons where there were other players or other stars who needed to have the ball like James (Harden), or Jimmy Butler, or Ben Simmons. There is Maxey of course but this is really his show so he just has a lot more of the ball.
However, is he more aggressive than before with the ball in hand?
Not necessarily. His movements are the same but it's really the volume that has changed. He scores almost 15 points in each first quarter. He has more points scored than minutes played… It's really impressive, very impressive. And then what’s crazy is its effectiveness. That's what impresses me the most.
So, when you confront him, how do you go about defending him?
With NBA rules, it's impossible. You touch him a little, it's a direct fault. The guy, he's twenty kilos heavier than you so you do what you can but you also have to be careful not to find yourself in a foul problem after two minutes of play, so you have to let him play and do with.
In a different style, there is Victor Wembanyama who is in full swing at the moment. You played Spurs a few days ago. What impressions do you have of it?
Yeah, he's big, big, very big. Very young too. At 26, 27 years old, if he stays in shape and is spared from injuries, he will be much stronger and then it will be…. There's a way it could be worse than Embiid. Obviously, he shouldn't take too quickly because he is young. It will come little by little but once it happens, it will be so impressive because apart from the physique, he already has everything!
Was there anything about him that surprised you when you met him?
Its scale… It's so long, it's exaggerated. When his teammates pass him towards the circle and he catches it and puts it in without forcing… It's crazy, we've never seen that!
Comments collected in San Francisco.
