Memphis Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows in the 2021-22 season.
He missed more than half of the regular season due to several injuries and spent significant time in health and safety protocols.
He shot the best he has shot from the field since his rookie year while shooting the worst he has ever shot from the three-point line in the regular season.
Not to mention, the infamous playoff performances and moments— things no one has ever seen from a Memphis Grizzlies player.
Brooks’ all-around lackluster playoff performance, especially, has quickly turned him into the most over-hated, underrated player on the Grizzlies roster by far.
Let’s take a look at why Dillon Brooks will get his mojo as “The Villain” back in 2022-23.
How can Memphis Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks get back to his old self?
The first major reason that Dillon Brooks will get his mojo back in 2022-23 is the fact that he has had a completely healthy offseason which will allow him to fine-tune certain aspects of his game.
He broke his left hand in two places during a workout last offseason, causing him to miss all of training camp as well as the first 10 games of the new season.
Not being able to do most basketball activities for a majority of the offseason definitely took away from the continued development of his all-around play, and was a reason for his lackluster shooting from the perimeter in his return.
A sprained ankle in a game against the Clippers on January 8 sidelined him for a total of 27 more games, which eventually led to him missing a total of 50 games for the whole season.
Dillon Brooks’ availability problems throughout last season were impossible to look over, and are likely the culprit for his efficiency problems from beyond the arch.
Having a fully healthy offseason is a huge step in the right direction, and if he can play a majority of the regular season, then expect nothing less than an extremely productive Dillon Brooks.
Dillon Brooks reignites fierce attitude and stringent defensive persona
If there is one thing that every single person around the NBA knows about Dillon Brooks, it is that he is going to give it all he has every time that he steps on the court.
He plays with an infectious tenacity that would certainly be a nightmare to be on the opposite side of on a nightly basis. While he lets opponents hear about it when he makes a tough shot or has a gusty defensive stop, the numbers prove that he is not all talk.
According to B-Ball Index, Brooks ranked in the 99.7% in matchup difficulty last season. Despite this, he finished in the 96.5% in on-ball defensive production.
Just those two stats alone shows Dillon Brooks has some of the toughest matchups in the league every single night but is still one of the best perimeter defenders in all of basketball.
If he can keep his foul numbers down, then he is a real candidate to make an all-defensive team next year.
Dillon Brooks’ desire to win and his all-out effort on the defensive end will allow him to get his mojo back in 2022-23.
Contract year Dillon will return
In Dillon Brooks’ second season in the NBA (2018-19), he only played 18 games and averaged 7.5 points a night. He missed practically that whole season, which meant he had something to prove going into his last year on his contract.
And boy did he prove he belonged.
His stats steadily increased as the months progressed. It was in January, however, that he absolutely exploded and made it clear that it was time to get paid.
In that month, he averaged 20.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and almost a steal per night. He did that while shooting 45% from the field on 16.5 attempts per game, as well as 45.5% from three (6.7 attempts per night).
On February 5, he received a 3-year, $35 million dollar contract extension from the Grizzlies after averaging 16 points per night on 42.4% shooting from the field and 39.9% from three to start the 2019-20 campaign.
Now, fast forward to the upcoming 2022-23 season. It is yet again Dillon Brooks’ last year on his deal with the Grizzlies, and he definitely has something to prove with the way last season ended.
If history can repeat itself, then we are destined for Dillon Brooks to show his importance to the team and prove that he deserves to be extended.
If Dillon Brooks can stay healthy for the entirety of next season while remaining the best perimeter defender on the Grizzlies’ roster as well as bringing his infectious competitive attitude and leadership on a nightly basis, then he will certainly get his mojo back and will be apart of the Grizzlies core for several more years.