Memphis Grizzlies: Dillon “Villain” Brooks’ 2020-21 season review

Looking up and down the Memphis Grizzlies‘ roster, it was clear which player’s season should be reviewed first. That, of course, was Ja Morant, whose 2020-21 season was broken down offensively and defensively on Thursday.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to read that, take a look after you read this article. It’ll be linked at the bottom.

But after Ja Morant, it was difficult to decide which player to write about. There are plenty of relevant players on the team, including Kyle Anderson, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas, but one seemed like the inevitable choice.

That player is Dillon Brooks, who became a notorious figure in the NBA after the Grizzlies’ performance in the NBA’s play-in tournament.

Memphis Grizzlies G Dillon Brooks made a name for himself in the 2020-21 NBA season

Before this season, Dillon Brooks was just another player on an irrelevant NBA team. He was a solid defender but nobody really knew his name because he hadn’t done much to create relevancy.

That would drastically change in 2021.

Dillon Brooks would start by averaging a new career-high in points, though, this wasn’t particularly noteworthy, as he only scored a single point per game more than he did last year. But it was the intangible stuff that made this a career year for Dillon Brooks.

The former Oregon Duck never ducked (pun intended) a challenge. He would take on any player head-on. If the Grizzlies play the Warriors, he’s guarding Stephen Curry. If they’re playing the Lakers, he’s guarding LeBron James.

Brooks has stepped up in a big way in 2021, and even though his defense was his pride and joy, it started on the offensive end.