Memphis Grizzlies: How did Dillon Brooks look in the Rising Stars Challenge?
By Tony East
Dillon Brooks got a chance to represent the Memphis Grizzlies and Canada during All-Star weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge.
The Memphis Grizzlies went into the 2017 NBA Draft with a lack of draft picks and young players. In an attempt to get some extra bites of the apple and get some more youth in the pipeline, general manager Chris Wallace trade two future second round picks for two second-rounders. With those picks, the front office snagged Ivan Rabb and Dillon Brooks.
Most second round picks don’t amount to much more than a rotation player. The Grizzlies were hopeful that one day, Rabb and Brooks could be that impactful for them. That day has already come for Brooks.
He has 48 starts in 56 games and is scoring nine points per game on .452/.374/.720 shooting splits — impressive stats for anyone in a rotation, let alone a second round rookie. Combine that with decent defense and adequate passing, and you have a rising star.
Because of that, Brooks was invited to the NBA’s All-Star festivities to participate in the Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Challenge. Because of his Canadian nationality, he was selected to be a member of the “World” team.
Brooks ended up playing a huge role in Team World’s 155-124 win, as he was a +21 in 16 minutes. He did a great job scoring the ball, the skill he has shown the most in the first half of his first season. He poured in 11 points on 12 shots, with his first points being a 3-pointer late in the first quarter:
Who’s surprised? He’s on the path to becoming a lights-out shooter one day given how well he has shot as a rookie, so it is only appropriate that his first shot in the Rising Stars game was a long bomb.
Remember when I mentioned how impressive his passing has been for his age? We got to see that on display as well.
After alertly catching a rebound in the first quarter, he turned and looked up the court to see if he had an outlet pass to any teammates. Once he saw Bogdan Bogdanovic flying ahead on the break, he flung a perfect 70-foot pass that led to an easy basket:
His other assist was substantially less exciting, but hey, you’ve got to fill up the stat sheet to leave an impression!
Clearly his early returns were impressive, as all of the clips you have seen so far were in the first quarter. But this is the All-Star weekend. It is for the fans. It is for entertainment. And Brooks brought out the entertainment.
His first highlight was dribbling and weaving through the entire Team USA before finishing off of an offensive rebound. The dribbling and the moves were so silky smooth for someone with his lack of experience:
His other highlight was more typical of All-Star weekend: a monster dunk with the defense giving up on the play:
Now THAT is how you leave an impression. Hopefully, now more fans and analysts know who Dillon Brooks is.
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That would be huge for the Grizzlies. They don’t have much exciting youth talent, so it was nice to see Brooks play well in the Rising Stars game. Hopefully, for Memphis, he has many more trips to All-Star weekend ahead in his future.