Estranged ex-Grizzlies wing showcases skillset fans had been longing for

Dillon Brooks’ tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies was an up-and-down roller coaster ride that closed out on an extremely polarizing low.

Failing to follow up his “bear poking” shenanigans against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers with effective on-court play during the club’s one-and-done 2023 postseason run, the wing seemingly was used as a scapegoat for Grind City’s unfortunate follies.

In turn, the franchise ultimately informed the soon-to-be free agent Brooks that they would not be re-upping with him “under any circumstances.” In the end, he would go on to ink a lucrative four-year, $80 million deal with the Houston Rockets.

While the contract has since been dubbed the worst move made during this summer’s free agency period, the 27-year-old is seemingly unphased by the criticisms and is even using it as fuel for his upcoming 2023-24 debut in Space City.

Already, we’ve seen a glimpse of his motivation during this year’s FIBA World Cup tournament, as he played lights out for Team Canada and wound up guiding them to a bronze medal behind his stellar 39-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound, 2-block performance during their finale.

Ex-Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks showcasing improved perimeter shooting form

What made his efforts even more impressive is the fact that he accumulated such numbers while shooting 7-of-8 from distance (87.5 percent).

Though long-range shooting was a major problem for Brooks during his final season with the Grizzlies, as he shot a putrid 32.6 percent on 6.0 attempts per game (second-most) in 2022-23, his play on the international stage showed he certainly has the ability to cash them home at a consistent rate and, based off recently released footage, it appears he’s continuing to work on this part of his game ahead of the upcoming season.

Filmed by basketball skills trainer David Tyndale and posted as a story on his personal Instagram account, Brooks was seen working extensively on his three-point stroke during a private workout, taking and making several deep shots with a clean looking form.

Of course, this must be taken with a grain of salt for clips such as these are seen constantly throughout the offseason, with NBA players seemingly honing a part of their game that has oft been tabbed as a weakness — Ben Simmons has even had surfaced footage of him cashing in treys, so expectations must be checked.

Still, it appears Brooks currently has his eyes set on fixing his jumper for his new employers.

If only he was capable of doing so for the Grizzlies.

3 Grizzlies currently on the hot seat heading into 2023-24

There are three members of the Memphis Grizzlies who, coming into the 2023-24 season, could be argued as having rather hot seats.