Wasn’t this guy supposed to be our main defender, tough guy and enforcer in a way? All I saw was weak fouls, not even one attempt to check Draymond, just silly stuff with Butler and no shooting? One of the main guys who heavily disappointed! If Tate had been healthy, he would’ve done a better job.
Dillon had a great season; was our best 3-pt shooter on high volume this yr. But he had a very disappointing playoffs, and u just can’t fall off like that. He also did this with Memphis. The problem is that we are so bereft of shooting that we can’t afford to lose him without Tari taking a big step in that department. But if we can replace his shooting I’m okay with moving Dillon for real value.
They needed him. He was crucial to the success of the season, but he had a very disappointing game seven.
Yes, Dillon is a better shooter but he's sort of a 2000s/2010s era stand still catch and shoot guy like a Trevor Ariza type. He's not really a scorer or a natural shooter. You don't have to stick to him, just rotate with a hard close out and he can't attack the defense or reset for an easy shot. In a lot of ways Tari is just a younger DB with better measurables and he's therefore better at all the other things outside of shooting (steals, blocks, rebounding etc). I wouldn't rush to get rid of either but if forced to choose in a big trade, I'm keeping Tari. One thing I learned about DB this series, and it's probably what the Grizzlies learned as well, is that he's not really a leader. He's maybe more of an avatar/mascot for this team's identity. Amen/Tari have learned from him but losing him wouldn't create some vacuum in the locker room the way losing FVV would.
DB's shooting was fine in games 1-5 but completely disappeared the last 2. Reminds me of what happened to him during the NCAA tournament a couple of times at Oregon.
DB is good for regular season, but in playoffs he has a target on his back by refs (worse than Draymond) and he’s not great laterally anymore - the times players can get around him and break down the defense pisses me off … same with Tari … just stay in front of your man I’m okay with moving DB to the bench and putting Amen at SF … that allows Bari back to PF … I really would like a bigger PG who attacks the paint/midrange enough to draw attention (which FVV doesn’t) but that’s a diff topic
He’s a better scorer than one would think, but have not been impressed with his defense. Maybe he sets a tone that helps the younger guys, but I don’t see him as a defensive stopper or great helper either. He’s good at getting under the skin of the opposing team, but do opposing players respect him as a defender?
They don't respect him. But, I would still say he's a plus defender. It's just that he defends only with effort. He doesn't have great athleticism or great defensive instincts/intelligence. He's a SF version of Patrick Beverley. He just plays hard. NBA players don't really respect that because they feel anyone can do what they do. And, It doesn't look as good in the playoffs when everyone is playing hard AND you're going against elite talent every night.
If the Rockets best 2-3 players are better, the other guys will likely look better, including Brooks. Brooks fits with a lot guys. I'd worry about fixing the top 2-3 guys internally or externally, than trying to get guys that fit with the current 2-3 best guys. That said, I wouldn't mind someone like Cam Johnson that will likely fit with a lot of different players and is just flat out better. There is a cost to do that, though. Overall, I expect Brooks will either be used as salary matching to bring in a 2-3 best guy, or the Rockets ride out his contract letting the younger guys develop and slowly (or quickly pass) him for PT.
Dillon shot okay in the first half of the series but his poor rebounding (against Butler specifically) and ill-timed fouls were a big reason Rockets got into a 1-3 hole in the first place. He always plays worse after a scuffle and when he gets emotionally charged and the Warriors knew that. They baited him and he fell for it every time. Him getting in foul trouble in game 6 was a blessing in disguise. He slowed dramatically as the series wore on and his attention to detail went down the toilet. I blame him for a lot of Buddy Hield's open 3 point looks yesterday. Good regular season player for us but I would be okay with moving on from him.
someone was saying before the game that they were worried about Buddy popping off. I was like, “don’t worry, Dillon and Tari can neutralize Buddy”. Boy was I wrong.
He’s not a perimeter defender anymore. He’s good against big wing types who like to get to certain sweet spot, ironically he didn't match up that often against Jimmy. We had him chasing guards around screens and like other mentioned his lateral quickness and awareness isnt great. He also is a minus rebounder for his position, which hurts a lot.
I think it’s funny he was swiping at Curry’s thumb as if that’s some tough guy **** and then completely wet the bed against Butler. Silly ass.
