After a disastrous season for the Memphis Grizzlies, veteran swingman Dillon Brooks was told not to come by by the front office for his role in their problematic moves both on and off the court. But after a red-hot start with his new team (the Houston Rockets), Brooks is looking back on his Memphis days with a different perspective. As Brooks explained in a recent chat with Sports Illustrated, he was wrongfully blamed as the reason for why things fell apart for the Grizzlies last season.
“What I didn’t like about Memphis was they allowed that so they can get out of the woodwork, and then I’m the scapegoat of it all,” said Brooks. “That’s what I didn’t appreciate. And then ultimately they’ll come to me on the low, as men, one on one and tell me something, but then not defend me when everything went down.”
To say the situation got ugly for the Grizzlies last season is an understatement. Despite an impressive start to the season, the Grizzlies were quickly humbled down the stretch of the season, when injuries to Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke jeopardized their frontcourt depth. After talking trash for months, the entire league had grown resentment toward the Grizzlies and pretty much everyone was rooting for their downfall in the 2023 playoffs.
Grizzlies Will Regret Letting Brooks Go
Needless to say, the Brooks departure hasn’t aged well for the Grizzlies. Without Dillon there to stabilize the perimeter defense and add another threat on the wing, the Grizzlies are struggling to score and they no longer have an elite defense to keep them in games. Since Ja Morant is still serving his 25-game suspension, the Grizzlies have had to rely on Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. to lead the offense but their efforts have been in vain so far. To date, the Grizzlies have the 29th-ranked offense in the NBA with an average scoring total of 108.5 points per game.
Meanwhile, Dillon Brooks is in the middle of the best shooting season of his entire career. Through 9 games so far, Brooks is averaging 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game on 55% shooting. Wildly, he’s also shooting 53% percent from beyond the arc this season. So as Brooks continues to thrive with the Rockets, the Grizzlies have to be feeling some sense of regret letting him go so easily this summer.
New-Look Rockets Are A Threat In The West
With Brooks playing a major role, the Houston Rockets have been one of the surprise teams of the season. With a 6-3 record, including 6-1 at home, the Rockets are 4th in the Western Conference standings and are looking like a bonafide playoff team after finishing 14th just a season ago. Thanks to Brooks, veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, and head coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets are establishing a new culture in Houston and things appear to be trending in the right direction for the first time in years.
Of course, when it comes to the Rockets, Alperen Sengun is the ultimate building block and his growth spurt over the summer looks like it was enough to push the 21-year-old into the realm of stardom after just two seasons. By the looks of it, the Rockets have a bright future in the NBA and Brooks is no doubt better off in Houston than he would have been staying for another season with the Grizzlies.
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