The Memphis Grizzlies come into Wednesday night’s road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the back of a strong overtime win against the Celtics.
It was a game that saw the team come out on top in what came off as a “team-fashioned” win. A similar win to the many earned from a collective effort for a tough Grizzlies team, spearheaded by Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas.
But there’s one player outside of the teams dynamic tandem of Morant and Valanciunas who has been a spark for this team, both in yesterday’s contest and as of recent in general: Dillon Brooks.
The shooting forward has done a little bit of everything for this team on the offensive end, as he came up big during the teams overtime win against the Celtics. The former 2017 2nd-rounder from Oregon was able to put up 24 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists in the game.
But let’s break down what it is exactly that Brooks has quietly done behind scenes to help a Grizzlies team that has yearned a playoff berth since 2017.
Memphis Grizzlies F Dillon Brooks has been attacking the lane relentlessly
It doesn’t matter if he’s in transition or if he’s taking his defender 1-on-1, Brooks will find a way to get to the rim. He makes sure the floor is spaced out and instantly goes into “attack” mode by creating for himself with his nifty behind-the-back dribbling, muscling his way into the paint where he embraces contact for the finish at the bucket.
In the game against the Boston Celtics, there were many instances where Brooks grabbed the board and charged down the lane for quick stop and pop inches away from the rim; he was like a one-man show in some appearances.
It’s what he’s done all season, as he used it to his advantage all throughout the second half last against Brad Stevens’ Celtics.
Dillon Brooks has been playing great defense for the Memphis Grizzlies
You’re better off using other past games to validate this one, as his game against the Celtics didn’t do much to help his argument here.
Defensively, he wasn’t that bad against the Celtics; it’s just that he kept leaving his man in Jaylen Brown open when trying to pick up his teammates assignments on switches.
Nevertheless, Brooks has shown that he is a solid perimeter defender. After a joust with the league’s leading scorer at the time in Bradley Beal, Beal admitted to reporters that Brooks did his job and guarded him well after their game played on March 10.
"“I respect him. He’s a gritty guy. He’s not the only one, everybody around the league is starting to do it. They know what the scouting report is. Keep the ball out of my hands or force the other guys to make plays. Just make it difficult for me to catch…”…He’s a competitor and he’s always going to make it tough,” as Beal would continue."
Beal leads the Grizzlies in steals with an average of 1.3 for the season. One thing about Brooks is that he’s one of the tougher guys out on the floor, willing to pick up the most laborious assignments on defense.
Nonetheless, expect the Brooks to be in action tomorrow night — diving for those loose balls, and running down the court in transition like a freight train with the ball.
He’s one of the leagues more interesting players, and it’s why the team depends on him more than we think.