Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for recklessly making contact with Indiana Pacers center Daniel Theis in the groin area.
The incident, for which Brooks was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected, occurred with 7:27 remaining in the first quarter of the Rockets’ 122-103 preseason win over the Pacers on October 10 at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Brooks did the same thing to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in Game 3 of the Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies series in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. He was ejected and fined $2,000.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dillon Brooks, Daniel Theis, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers Updates
The Grizzlies did not re-sign Brooks this offseason because they did not like the shots the forward took on offense, according to NBA reporter Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Brooks joined the Rockets on a four-year, $86 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Grizzlies.
“I think the reasons the Grizzlies were ready to move on from him are misunderstood,” MacMahon said on Zach Lowe’s podcast. “The nonsense was kind of like at a point where culturally, it was time. That was not the primary reason. The primary reason the Grizzlies were trying to replace Dillon Brooks for a full two years — repeatedly going after players that would have replaced him in the trade market — and he probably would have been sent out, was because of the shot selection issue. Dillon did not want to be a fourth or fifth offensive weapon.”
Brooks averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season for the Grizzlies while shooting 39.6% from the field, 32.6% from beyond the arc and 77.9% from the free-throw line. Memphis won 51 games in the regular season and was the second seed in the Western Conference.
However, the Grizzlies lost to the Lakers in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in six games and Brooks didn’t play well. The 27-year-old averaged just 10.5 points while shooting 31.2% from the floor and 23.8% from 3 against the Lakers.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dillon Brooks, Daniel Theis, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers Updates
Brooks is off to a bad start with the Rockets. Getting ejected in your preseason game is not a good look. It will be interesting to see how the swingman plays moving forward.
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