3. Dillon Brooks plays in the Rising Stars Challenge
Dillon Brooks was the latter of the two second round picks for the Memphis Grizzlies this season, but he sure as hell didn’t play like it. Brooks averaged 11 points per game and shot the ball well from all over the court. Because of this, and his solid defense, he was able to start in 74 games.
All of that great play led to Brooks being selected to play in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge. Because of his Canadian heritage, Brooks was selected to play for Team World.
For Brooks, this was exciting. It validated his impressive season as one that was being noticed, but it was also huge for the Grizz. It is probably the only individual accolade that any member of the team will get this season, and Memphis will be happy that it was a rookie who got it.
With Brooks, Memphis looks like it found a long-term starter, and the Rising Stars Challenge was the perfect validation of that.