Rim-running centers generally thrive offensively when they get help in creating their shots from a playmaker on their roster. There is no doubt that it’s easier to be more efficient offensively if one’s shots get easier due to the attention the playmaker commands.
Trae Young and Clint Capela are a duo that fits perfectly with one another, with Capela playing the rim-runner role and taking advantage of Young’s feeds. In fact, a recent statistic showed that Trae Young has more total assists to Clint Capela than Donovan Mitchell has total passes to Rudy Gobert this season, 152-151.
Got asked about some….
Booker to Ayton: 361
Tatum to Williams: 228
Trae to Clint: 152 assists on 472 passes. https://t.co/saEUV2dIov
— McCade Pearson (@McCadeP8) April 3, 2022
While this obviously speaks about how good Trae Young and Clint Capela’s partnership is, this is also an indictment of the number of times Donovan Mitchell passes to Rudy Gobert over the course of a game. Donovan Mitchell incredibly only passes to Rudy Gobert two times a game, which seems very low. Perhaps that number ends up trending upwards in the future.
To be fair to Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz system relies on players shooting a lot of 3PT shots, so the ball moves a lot around the perimeter, rather than getting dumped inside to Rudy Gobert for a post-up play.
However, it would make sense to get Rudy Gobert some more touches as he is currently only attempting 7.7 FG a game, but still averaging 15.3 PPG. Donovan Mitchell is also not known for his passing ability, as he is viewed as more of a volume scorer rather than a playmaker. Hopefully, we see the Utah Jazz make some improvements to get Rudy Gobert more involved in the offense.
As for the Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young, what they’re doing right now is perfectly fine. Trae Young is at his best with a roll threat like Clint Capela, and the chemistry between the duo is very noticeable. They are currently the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, and they could definitely make some noise in the playoffs if they make it out of the play-in tournament.
