The NBA season is officially upon us as the Hawks get set to tip things off against the Rockets Wednesday at State Farm Arena, and after making one of the premiere moves of the offseason, there’s a buzz around Atlanta with the arrival of Dejounte Murray.
While fans will have to wait one more day to see the combination of Murray and Trae Young in action, Clint Capela has been front and center throughout training camp and told The Steakhouse on 92.9 The Game that he duo has the potential to be among the league’s best.
“When I rebound the ball, whoever I see, I’m going to pass it to. They both have the ability to do [set up the offense] so it will depend on the night and that’s what you need. You need multiple weapons from the guards and have those two be able to interchange from the one and the two. It’s going to be tough to stop,” Capela said.
We got a glimpse of Murray in action over the summer in pro-am events, including a highlight-reel dunk over top-pick Paolo Banchero that led to some strife between the two. After watching from afar before camp, Capela says there’s no denying the impact on the team’s mindset that the former San Antonio Spur has brought with him.
“He has that ‘dawg mentality’ which is what we need on this team and that’s definitely going to help us get better,” Capela said.
With Murray’s addition, Capela went on to say that he feels this is the best team he’s played with since arriving in Atlanta. The Hawks’ big man enters his third season in Atlanta and told 92.9 The Game that is ready to go following a healthy offseason. He entered 2021 recovering from an Achilles injury before averaging 11.1 points per game—his lowest since 2015—and just a tick under 12 rebounds per game.
He did suffer a thumb injury in the preseason but said he’s fine heading into the opener.