The Houston Rockets are not yet whole. The team still awaits the return of starting point guard Fred VanVleet. In the meantime, long-time starter Jabari Smith Jr. now apparently shares the role with defensive menace Tari Eason. Once VanVleet returns, however, there won’t be space for either of them. That is; unless it comes from somewhere else. Should Dillon Brooks continue to start for Houston?
Dillon Brooks: From Villain To Houston’s Unsung Hero
When Houston first signed Brooks to a four-year, $86 million contract, the decision was met with skepticism. Brooks had a reputation as a problem player. The front office of his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies, badmouthed him on the way out. His emotional discipline and decision-making on the court were viewed unfavorably across the league.
But Houston’s decision was swiftly vindicated by a successful first season with the lightning rod onboard. Along with co-signees VanVleet and head coach Ime Udoka, he was credited with transforming Houston’s culture. It was an injection of Memphis grit and grind. This season, with Houston’s emerging stars taking the lion’s share of the praise, he’s been more of an after-thought.
Houston’s Cultural Revolution May Be Complete
The fact that Brooks is often the forgotten man in Houston storylines is to his credit though. He has successfully filled the part of three-and-D role player and locker room presence. Notably, he has done so without any of the louder antics that got him in trouble in Memphis.
Of course, that may change come playoff time. The Los Angeles Lakers are a plausible first or second round opponent for Houston. Few Lakers fans would forget Brooks’ past antagonizing of LeBron James. But it’s just as likely for various other Rockets players to be at the heart of any potential postseason conflicts.
Amen Thompson and Smith are hotheads in their own right (and one of them terrifyingly knows Judo). Cam Whitmore has had his share of on-court disagreements as well, especially for as little time as he’s actually spent on the court. Eason might keep a cooler head in the moment, but he’s a professional agitator through and through. Like Brooks, he sometimes even goes out of his way to agitate the wrong people.
For better or worse, the Rockets’ only young players who don’t really start anything with anyone are the team’s fourth-year stars: Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. So there’s a case to be made that Houston’s culture is already well accounted for at this point with or without Brooks. So what happens to the revolutionaries once the revolution is over?
Brooks’ On-Court Production for Houston
Luckily, Brooks’ contributions to the team are also on the floor. The Canadian bruiser is third on the team in total plus/minus. A major part of that has been due to the spacing he provides. Never known as much of a threat from distance, Brooks has improved considerably as a shooter over his first two seasons in Houston. After averaging 34.2% on 4.9 three-point attempts per game over his first six seasons with Memphis, Brooks shot 35.9% on 5.1 attempts in his first year with the Rockets. This season, he leads all regular rotation players on Houston at 39.6% on 6.1 attempts per game.
Brooks has been surpassed as the premier perimeter defender on the team. The young defensive duo of Thompson and Eason are longer, more athletic, and both have the supernatural ability to be seemingly everywhere at once. Nonetheless, Brooks remains a steadying presence on defense and can use his lower center of gravity to make life difficult for larger matchups.
Brooks has mostly forgone the semi-creator role he had in his first year with Houston. The sight of him operating a pick-and-roll is increasingly rare. A bench role could potentially see him claim some of those creation opportunities back. On the other hand, Houston’s big three of Sengun, Thompson, and Green, have serious shooting limitations. Brooks is one of the team’s best shooters so it makes sense to get him looks off of their gravity. It’s no easy decision to make, but it’s a good problem to have.
The Last Word
It would come as a major surprise if Brooks were to come off the bench in 2024-25. The team’s plans beyond this season are much less clear. As long as Udoka is leading the coaching staff, Brooks is the embodiment of Houston’s culture. Maybe they don’t need that anymore, maybe they do. Whatever the case, Brooks was a major part of getting the Rockets to sing from the same hymn sheet in the first place.
Photo credit: © Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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