After winning PAC-12 Player of the Year last year, Dillon Brooks still fell to the second round. Will he have a chip on his shoulder this year?
When the Memphis Grizzlies traded for Dillon Brooks in this year’s draft, he was the kind of player they needed. After always swinging for the fences with potential, they finally selected a player who was a success in college.
Dillon Brooks has played a huge role in transforming Oregon into a top basketball program these past few years. He also established himself as one of the most versatile players in the country. He could score in a variety of ways (14.8 three-year career average), shoot from deep (36.2 percent), rebound as a wing (4.5 average) and facilitate the offense (2.6 average).
As he lead Oregon to the Final 4 and a second-place finish in the PAC-12, Brooks won the PAC-12 Player of the Year honors. You want to know who else was in the PAC-12 this past year? Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, the top two players in this year’s draft. As those two players received the hype, Brooks flew under the radar and fell into the second round — which is totally expected from college veterans.
At this week’s media day, I asked if winning PAC-12 Player of the Year over the hyped-up Fultz and Ball placed a chip on his shoulder. He had the perfect response:
"Yeah, especially. I’ve been playing with a chip on my shoulder. That’s why I am the player I am today. I play with a chip on my shoulder. You know I love playing the game of basketball. [And] I feel like whoever is front of me and thinks they’re better than me, I’m going to try to be better than them. That’s just the competitiveness that I have, and I want to bring to this team everyday and out."
Dillon Brooks isn’t the only conference player of the year to fall to the second round. This year’s National and Big 12 Player of the Year Frank Mason fell to the second round as well.
In the past, there’s been plenty of former conference player of the year’s who have succeeded in the NBA. Jae Crowder (Big East), Chandler Parsons (SEC), Malcolm Brogdon (ACC) have all flourished in the NBA even though they were older prospects who fell into the second round.
However, the most notable player is Draymond Green (Big 10), who fell to the 35th pick in the 2011 draft. He’s a prime example of a player who came in with a chip on his shoulder and blossomed into an elite player in the NBA.
Green can also name every player drafted in front of him, and I asked Brooks if he can eventually do the same:
"Oh yeah. I look at the list a lot over time. By the time I get to the stature, as Draymond did, I’ll name everyone."
Next: Media Day: Wade Baldwin looking to build off Summer League
If history repeats itself, the Memphis Grizzlies will have a tremendous prospect on their hands. Dillon Brooks can be a player who breaks their recent draft luck and gives them promise for the future.