With roster depleted, Brooks gets his shot
Rookie’s confidence, ability to adjust on offense impresses coaching staff
Armoni Brooks might not love the memory of his first NBA start against Utah on Wednesday. He missed his first seven 3-pointers. The Rockets trailed by 36 and lost by 23. But he also could someday look back and laugh about how far he had come. He already has.
Brooks, not even three weeks removed from signing a two-way contract just when he was about to fly to New Zealand to play, got the start with Kevin Porter Jr. out because of NBA health and safety protocols and because five other regulars are out with injuries. But the Rockets have showed confidence in what he can bring.
“It just shows the coaching staff trust in me to go out there and produce and give this team the best opportunity to win,” Brooks said. “To be able to do that early on in my career is a great feeling.”
Since he helped key the Rockets’ win in Orlando on Sunday when he made 5 of 6 3-pointers, Brooks has made just 4 of 20 in loss to Miami and Utah. The Rockets, however, expect him to keep firing away, with the status of their depleted roster likely to give him a chance.
“For him, being a rookie and being a G League bubble guy and coming in and starting a game and not being afraid at all, you see that,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “I might have told him last game, I said, ‘I know I don’t have to tell you this but don’t hesitate.’ He’s a super confident guy. And you have to be confident to be a shooter in the NBA. You have to believe that the next shot is going in.”
Still, there are adjustments. Brooks was not a two-way player all season, shuttling back and forth from the G League as young players in a normal season often do. He is getting his chance late in the season with the Rockets so shorthanded there are minutes to be had, shots to take. The playing time Brooks is getting, averaging 28.9 minutes in his past three games, can be valuable to earning a spot on a roster next season.
“There’s a lot of adjustments you got to go through coming from the G League,” Brooks said. “Everything is faster. Everyone’s stronger. One wrong step can lead to a mistake, a wide-open 3 for someone that’s not supposed to get a 3. There’s a lot of learning, mainly on the defensive end, trying to adjust to how quick everything, how physical everything is coming at you. It’s a big adjustment.”
The shot will come around. The Jazz did not leave him open, especially early, the way the Magic had, having had the advantage of putting him in a scouting report. But there will be enough shots to get going away, as long as he remains certain that he will.
That does not seem to be a problem.
“Just knowing the head coach has that much confidence in me and my shot-making ability is huge,” Brooks said. “It’s huge for a players’ confidence because as a player who’s main thing is shooting, having self-confidence is a big thing. But having other people encouraging you, it’s good to hear. It’s a big boost.”
Having one clear NBA-level ability, especially that particular talent, can keep a young player in the league. Minutes can go to those that do more. On a bad shooting night, Brooks had 10 rebounds and four assists, both the tops for his seven NBA games, and had his first career blocked shot.
“Some nights as a shooter, they don’t fall,” Brooks said. “You get good looks. Sometimes, … the ball doesn’t bounce your way. So, you’ve got to find ways to impact the game other than just offensively, whether that’s rebounding, whether that’s defending, being a playmaker, just being a good teammate. There’s so many other aspects of being on a winning basketball team.”
He will, however, get to do what he does best. For now, in addition to storing the memory of his first start, he can look back on his first win, the night he lit up the Magic in Orlando.