He was basically useless last night. That's a little harsh, but he wasn't much of a factor. I'm not sure what the issue was, but it would be nice if he brought a little more energy out there. He was a different dude at the start of the season. He looks tired.
Coaching and him playing to his strengths. This is a player that needs sets to get his shot feed to him. Off ball movement and spacing. Structure is his game. He is not a roll the ball on the court and say play type of player. He is very effective if used right. His offense and his defense play off of one another. He needs to shot or pass only; dribble as last resort. If he dribbles more than twice then only pass. If he played within himself he would a multi time All Star. Just cleaning up his game a touch would make him even more successful because he is already doing it.
I do believe the Memphis Grizz fans know a little thing or two more about Dillon's game than we do. If DB is a multi season All Star then Jarrett Allen is a borderline Superstar (haha I kid but not about DB)
He is who he is, he is not untalented but he is just a Top 80 or Top 100 type of player......a decent player just not a reliable star. His Defense actually makes him a better player than his Offense is.
He has never played within his strengths only. He lacks the ability to self govern. My thoughts are hypothetical because his reality is what we see on the court.
I’ve watched almost every game this year, and Dillon very closely. I think the first half of the season he was very disciplined. His shot selection was very good, his defense was solid. He was playing his role very well. He’s a role player. I noticed when we really started having scoring challenges and especially when Fred was out, Dillion reverted to what he was doing in Memphis the last 2 yrs. Selfish basketball, terrible shot selection. He is a terrible finisher at the rim. I also think his defense so far in the second half has been inconsistent. He’ll have great nights like the way he defended Wemby, and he’ll have nights where it doesn’t seem like he’s a factor at all. To me he seems a little slow defensively. I’ve noticed lately that hes reduced his technicals and is reigning in his poor shots. I hope that trend continues. When he puts the ball on the floor it almost never ends in a bucket. I think the better his teammates do, the better role player Dillon will be. The worse the rest of the roster plays, the more we see bad Dillon.
He’s just regressed to the mean. This is who DB is. The beginning of the year, coming off playing for team Canada, he was locked in and playing above his normal level. Now, he’s just back to what he is. Playing for team Canada last summer, he may also be gassed at this point. DB is fine when he sits in the corner, and Alpi finds him for open 3s. He’s not very good off the bounce, when he heads towards the rim, or shoots those off balance mid-range. Defensively, he’s interesting. He gives maximum effort to contest jump shots and is very physical, aggressive, and handsy. However, he isn’t very quick and his lateral movement isn’t good either. He gets blown by a lot, but he just gives more effort than most other players in the league. The toughness and effort are what make his defense effective, not his actual tools. He’s not actually that talented a defender, in terms of his raw skill set. Our athletic wings (Jalen, Cam, Amen) all have the skills to be better defenders, based on their quickness and movement, jumping ability. DB is what he is. A decent defender, a veteran who brings experience and toughness, and someone who can hit some open 3s. No more, no less.
Brooks is Ariza. If he concentrates on playing good defense and spot up to shoot open 3s, he is a valuable guy. If he thinks that he's Tracy McGrady, it's disastrous. When Tari is healthy next season, his minutes should be reduced to make room for Tari and Cam.
One of the several reasons those of us who were against the contract were against it. I would still have this has been a 90th percentile outcome for him and way better then anyone could have imagined and it still sucks he’s a rocket
He had that oblique strain, I wonder if it's still nagging him. Doesn't seem like he's moving the same. The irrational confidence guy... you take the good with the bad.
Tari and Amen are arguably already better overall defenders than DB, although DB is a lot stronger. The good thing about DB is his catch and shoot abilities which Tari and Amen still lacks. Amen and Tari are also both better rebounders and shot blockers than DB.
Tari's 3pt shooting is comparable to Dillon's. And if he misses, he gets more than half of them back on offensive rebounds. One of the reasons I was against signing him was that he'd be taking away Tari's minutes. Now with the emergence of Amen and Cam, Brooks is expendable even with Tari out. I think he was good in the first half of the season by his hot shooting and bringing a toughness to the team culture. And Amen and Cam weren't ready. Now he is past his usefulness. I hope Stone can trade him for an above average shooter to come off the bench or package him and Jalen for a star level guard.
The shot selection is particularly concerning. Maybe he felt like he had to prove himself when he came and now the playoffs are out of the picture and he doesn't care much any more.
Brooks is in a weird place for sure. But I'm totally okay with his game if he only takes wide open threes. He's going to be a crossroads really soon where he will have decide if he wants a larger role on offense on a bad team or will be willing to sacrifice and become the next PJ Tucker. Otherwise it will be hard to justify starting him over Amen or Cam.
Those obliques injuries can flare up again like a couple of our Astros last year. Just like with Tate, I would only Trade Brooks to a great situation for him and only if he wanted out.
The only thing that happened was that Dillon Brooks turned back into Dillon Brooks after a hot start to the season.
