He’s only 23 years old, but Dillon Brooks is tied for being the longest-tenured Memphis Grizzly.
Brooks appeared to be in slight disbelief as he addressed his seniority at Grizzlies media day Monday. He shares the honor with Ivan Rabb, who was also selected in the 2017 NBA Draft. Despite still being one of the youngest players on the roster, Brooks spoke with the world-weariness of a veteran who knows the franchise inside and out.
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“I feel like Mike (Conley) and Marc (Gasol), shoot,” Brooks said. “Miss those guys. It’s a weird feeling. You need to show the new guys what it means to be a Memphis Grizzly. Great thing to be a part of. I got to see it from the late Z-Bo and Tony Allen, the late Mike and Marc, they set a precedent, a high one. That’s where we have to be at.”
While Brooks has tasked himself with carrying that veteran mantle, he’s still figuring out his place on the team like the rest of the young guys. To analyze Brooks’ first two seasons is to analyze two very contrasting situations.
In two years, he’s had 42 different teammates. He went from playing all 82 games and starting 74 as a rookie, to battling for a rotation spot and missing 70 games because of injuries last season. With a new coaching staff in place, new front office and a down season under his belt following an encouraging rookie season, he’s essentially starting this season from scratch, his early momentum gone.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Brooks said he learned more from his injury-riddled second season than from his first season. The entire experience — injuring himself not once, but twice, and having to battle for minutes early in the year despite starting the majority of the previous season — helped him put the success of his rookie season into proper context.
“Being injured humbled me,” Brooks said. “It made me watch the game more. It made me realize while the season was winding down that I’ve got to be professional and this game is not always going to be here, and I’ve got to be real humble and not take it for granted.”
The 2017-18 season was a lost one for the Grizzlies, but Brooks was one of the lone bright spots. He averaged 11 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and nearly a steal on 44/36/75 percent shooting splits. He proved himself to be one of the better two-way wings on the roster.
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Yet his momentum didn’t carry into the following season. Previous head coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn’t appear to trust Brooks early on, playing him for just six minutes in an opening-night blowout against the Pacers. His minutes increased right after, as he played at least 15 minutes in eight of the following 10 games. But he had trouble establishing a rhythm.
Then, injuries began to strike. He sprained his left knee on Nov. 10 after tripping over a live ball on the court, causing him to miss the next six weeks of the season. He returned on Dec. 23, but a ruptured ligament in his left toe prematurely ended Brooks’ season seven days later.
Brooks is healthy now, and he’s optimistic the weight he added over the summer will better prepare him for the rigors of a long NBA season.
“I’ve been playing open gym, five-on-five stuff, working out,” Brooks said. “I feel like I got a lot better. I felt like this summer I took it a lot serious. Being with the summer league team, working out with them, being there with coach, being with Ja (Morant) and Jaren (Jackson Jr.) and working out with them since me and Jaren got out at the same time. Just slowly growing (together) and building some camaraderie with those guys.”
If Brooks resembles his 2017-18 self, he should be a favorite to start this season. He has few weaknesses in his game, holding his own defensively while hitting at least 35 percent of his shots outside through two seasons. He’s also made an impression in training camp with his competitive fire.
“The biggest thing that jumps off about Dillon is that he’s ultra-competitive and I know he’s been like that year one, year two,” Jenkins said. “That’s been the standard that we’ve been holding him to. He’s really setting the tone for us defensively and the aggressiveness that we want to play on the defensive end.”
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“Offensively he’s playing within himself,” he continued. “He’s taking good shots but it’s been good to see how he’s playing with his teammates making the right plays. What he’s put in over the summer, overcoming the injury and getting cleared and all the individual work he put in over the course of the summer, it’s paid off in the conversations we’ve had about how we want him to set a standard with his competitiveness. It’s really come out in the first two days.”
Brooks is on board with the new regime. While he said he’ll accept whatever role Jenkins asks him to play, he views himself as a starter. And to be fair, there aren’t many, if any, shooting guards on the roster who can match his all-around ability.
He’s also excited about the arrival of Morant, who apparently has been a standout through two days of camp. For the first time since being in Memphis, Brooks is on a team that appears to be made for him. The Grizzlies will fly up and down the court and shoot 3-pointers with impunity. Brooks can do both. He noted that during his Oregon days, the Ducks played at a much faster pace than Memphis has during his two seasons with the franchise.
“We have so much potential, especially with Jaren,” Brooks said. “I got to see Ja play and the open running stuff and he looks amazing. He looks like Derrick Rose. Whatever you guys are saying on social media is exactly what he looks like. He’s going to be a great player to watch. He’s exciting and he has such a positive attitude and is willing to learn. Even coming from me, trying to give him advice he’s all ears in and that’s just a blessing coming from a second pick.”
Brooks has been abiding by a saying that Jenkins has preached this summer — “Let the bleep bleep fly.” With a season of lessons learned behind him, Brooks has bought into the new-look Grizzlies and the new schemes they’re going to try this season.
“I love it, it gets a lot of guys shots, it makes guys want to play harder because they know they’re going to get shots at the other end,” Brooks said. “It gives guys a chance to be themselves. This game is changing. It’s not slow-paced, throw it into the paint and play out of that. It’s more pick and roll, mismatches and getting volume 3’s up and scoring in the 100s and 110s.”
(Photo: Joe Murphy / NBAE via Getty Images)