Memphis Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks has been massive

Thanks to injuries and past trades, the Memphis Grizzlies had minimal means to improve their franchise outlook this season. Dillon Brooks has changed that.

The Memphis Grizzlies were one of seven teams in the 2017 NBA Draft that didn’t have a pick in the first round. Given they were already over the cap at the time, adding quality players was going to be very hard for Memphis without a good draft pick. When the 45th pick rolled around, the Rockets were on the clock. The Grizzlies, in a risky move, swooped in and traded for the pick, used on Dillon Brooks.

That risk is already paying off big time.

Brooks, a bouncy wing out of the University of Oregon, was expected to be a project for Memphis. Thirty games into the season, the project seems to be complete. Brooks is third on the team in minutes, and he has proven he can already do many things at an NBA level.

For starters he’s, well, starting. He has been in the starting unit for 22 of the Grizzlies’ 30 games, showing that he can perform even when pitted against the highest level of competition. In his starts, he’s shot 50 percent or better in 12 of them — just over half of his appearances. No matter who he is lined up against, he is showing that he’s no ordinary 45th overall pick.

Given that in two out three of Brooks’ college seasons he shot under 35 percent from 3, there were low expectations for his shooting ability coming into this year. However, he’s been solid from the deeper NBA line, knocking down 34.8 percent of his looks — slightly below league average.

He has a slow-ish release, but he’s a great rhythm shooter with great form, always using the hop to his advantage:

Shoutout to the announcer for an awesome call on that one, by the way.

Brooks is also eager to attack on the catch whenever he gets the chance. He scores 2.5 points per game on drives, and he attempts 3.7 drives per game. Considering nearly a third of his points per game come from drives, it shows how strong he is in this facet of the game.

He has great balance, which allows him to drive quickly after a fake. Once he’s by you, his youthful speed and athleticism make him impossible to stop at the rim:

Because he can hit the 3, the shot fake works for him. He is savvy enough to know how to get by anyone using his strengths already, and he is just a rookie.

Brooks’ season wouldn’t be so impressive if he could only contribute on one end of the floor, however. Luckily, Brooks is probably better on defense than he is on offense.

Memphis Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks has been a massive help

By Tony East | Dec 18, 2017

Thanks to injuries and past trades, the Memphis Grizzlies had minimal means to improve their franchise outlook this season. Dillon Brooks has changed that.