Over the past few seasons, forward Dillon Brooks has established himself as one of the NBA’s better defenders. Last season, his sixth in the league, he finally got recognition as a top-notch defender when he was voted onto the All-Defensive Second Team.
But Brooks has also branded himself as one of the game’s biggest villains with his incessant trash-talking and overpowering glower.
After the Memphis Grizzlies fell hard in the first round of last season’s playoffs, Brooks left the team and joined the Houston Rockets after they offered him a lucrative four-year, $86 million contract.
In a Sports Illustrated article, he had some not-so-nice things to say about his final days with the Grizzlies.
“It wasn’t what I wanted,” he says. “The whole season was not what I wanted. I feel like we did better when I was a focal point in that organization. They chose a different route. But I’m happy that through all the bulls— I was able to get what I always deserved.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dillon Brooks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies Updates
Without him (and Ja Morant and Steven Adams), Memphis has a 2-9 record this season, which is the worst mark in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 6-3 on a six-game winning streak after losing their first three contests of the year.
Brooks is helping out, as he’s averaging 13.7 points a game, and although he’s never been an efficient player, he’s shooting an excellent 55.1 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from 3-point range.
Of course, he is considered a villain because he has been involved in some notable incidents where he has committed dirty fouls on players such as LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors’ Gary Payton II, and Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dillon Brooks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies Updates
He has gotten himself suspended as a result more than once, including during the playoffs, and that is always an existential concern for any team he plays on.
The Rockets may not make the playoffs this season, as they’re a very young team, but Brooks can at least give them some toughness and swagger that is making them competitive, at least for now.
