Brooks is working on being more efficient
Brooks’ defense is one of the surest things on roster
“For him, It’s just identifying shot selection, shot opportunity, when to be aggressive, when to playmake.”
Taylor Jenkins
Grizzlies coach on Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks had one of the most noticeable self-observations of Memphis Grizzlies players at the team’s media day. Unprovoked, he brought up the need to be a more efficient player multiple times.
Those words might have sounded better than a B.B. King guitar solo to Memphis fans.
While it’s unclear if the thrill is truly gone, steps are being taken for Brooks to become more consistent offensively. Brooks again gave a self assessment of what that looks like on Tuesday after the Grizzlies’ first practice:
“Just finishing more on the key, less midrange, technical foul calls so I can get free points and just mixing in more hitting the roller, playmaking, stuff like that.”
Playmaking hasn’t been a huge part of Brooks’ game yet, even though he averaged a career-high 2.8 assists per game last year and showed promising strides. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is aware of Brooks’ desire to be more efficient, and he even complimented the sixth-year player after Tuesday’s practice.
“For him, It’s just identifying shot selection, shot opportunity, when to be aggressive, when to playmake,” Jenkins said. “Today in practice, he did a beautiful job of playmaking for his teammates.” Brooks shot 43.2% from the field last season, his highest total since his rookie year. That number is still below where Brooks and the Grizzlies want it; the obvious struggles came on his career-low 30.9% 3-point shooting on 4.7 attempts per game. Overall, Brooks took a
career-high 16.4 shots per game despite playing only 27.7 minutes — his lowest in all but one of his five seasons.
One of the first steps to being a good NBA player is having confidence, and Brooks hasn’t lacked that. When players like Ja Morant or Desmond Bane are unable to play, he’s often become more aggressive.
When four other Grizzlies starters sat out a meaningless April game against the Suns, Brooks shot 11-for-28 in the upset win. In the Game 6 playoff loss against the Warriors without Morant, Brooks again went 11-for-28. He kept the Grizzlies in the game with high-level shot-making, but some questionable shots eventually led to the Warriors pulling away.
His high shooting volume makes him one of the most criticized players on the team. Teammates have called Brooks the “heart and soul” of the team, and general manager Zach Kleiman called him a “potential long-term piece.” Yet his name is one of the first to come up from some fans when discussing trades.
“I’m a hot commodity,” Brooks said while laughing. “I just go out, work every single day and try to get better and don’t really focus on that.”
Brooks has a chance to quiet critics if he bounces back. Brooks reminded people this week he dealt with a hand injury at the start of last season. He played 19 games before being placed in healthy and safety protocols, returned for two games, then missed two months with an ankle injury.
An injury-free summer has allowed Brooks to work on “his stuff,” he said, not rehabbing an injury. Now he’s focusing on efficiency, but not just in scoring — playmaking and defense, too.
Jenkins noted the team’s scoring troubles from midrange last season, and Kleiman spoke about halfcourt scoring troubles. Those areas go hand-in-hand. Brooks sometimes took contested midrange shots that led to those inefficient numbers, and that’s one area where he plans to adjust.
“I’m going to still shoot them, but just the ones that are open,” Brooks said.
With all the questions of what Brooks will bring on offense, his defense is one of the surest things on the roster. Brooks has solidified himself as one of the better wing defenders in the NBA.
With Jaren Jackson Jr. out, his versatility could be tested even more. The Grizzlies are entertaining the possibility of going small with Brooks or Ziaire Williams playing the power forward position as an option while Jackson is out.
The Grizzlies did this in small stretches last season. Most notably, Brooks guarded Minnesota’s Karl-anthony Towns in the fourth quarter of the Game 5 comeback win last postseason.
Brooks’ response to that challenge is no surprise. He gave the answer of a player who only played 32 games last season and is itching to return.
“I want to play,” Brooks said. “... You know me, I can guard from one to four on the court, so wherever I can play and be healthy, be able to contribute, I’m there for it.”