Dillon Brooks named to the 2018 All-Star Rising Stars World Team

Memphis Grizzlies rookie forward Dillon Brooks checks another achievement off of his rookie list by being named to the Rising Stars Challenge.

Memphis Grizzlies rookie forward Dillon Brooks will be the first Grizzly to be apart of the Rising Stars Challenge since Marc Gasol and OJ Mayo in the 2008-2009 season. Brooks — averaging 8.4 points per game, shooting close to 40 percent from three (39.8), and shooting 46 percent from the field — will be the only Grizzly participating in All-Star weekend.

Brooks was Pac-12 Player of the Year last season at the University of Oregon, but taken in the second round of the 2017 draft. Brooks shows why you can’t look too deep into a player’s talents, as he has all of traits to be a cornerstone player in the NBA. His playmaking abilities offensively and knowledge on the defensive end have him further ahead than many rookies taken before him in the 2017 draft.

Brooks has talked about a lot of things he wanted to accomplish this season, and this one was high on that list. That’s the thing about Brooks that caught my attention at first, his confidence — along with his natural abilities to play the game of basketball — were eye-opening. His confidence and knowledge of the game are a huge reason for this achievement.

I show up to games at around 4:00 to watch guys like Dillon Brooks get shoot around in. Brooks, who was already intense about his shootaround, continues to add workouts to his routine. It shows in his numbers; his 3-point and field goal percentages have risen every month this season.

Brooks will play for Team World, because of his birth in Canada. He seems to be gaining a huge following, not only in Canada, but in the United States. People flock to arenas on the West coast when the Grizzlies play their games out there. It seems that there’s always a Dillon Brooks Oregon jersey in the visiting arena cheering him on. The way he carries the country of Canada, the University of Oregon and the city of Memphis already makes him a fan favorite in the NBA four months into his career.

Next: Grizzlies should invest more in Brooks

Congratulations, Dillon, on this huge rookie achievement. Can’t wait for all future achievements in his long NBA career in Memphis.