Dillon Brooks is one of the greatest agitators in the modern NBA, with him getting a lot of good players off their game. He’s tried that with LeBron James a lot since last season and it hasn’t worked. We saw that in the recent Lakers vs. Rockets matchup, where Brooks fouled LeBron seven times on a play in the post, but James scored on him effortlessly regardless.
Post work 💪
(@overtime ) pic.twitter.com/bSsA86jX2p
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 9, 2023
Brooks broke so many rules it’s shocking he didn’t get called on it. Maybe that’s why the Lakers feel comfortable lodging official complaints about the lack of calls on James. Brooks in this play hand-checked LeBron various times while trying to push James off his pivot foot. None of that mattered as the nearly 39-year-old LeBron effortlessly played it off.
LeBron James had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers, with 7-13 FG, and just 0-2 from the downtown.
On the other side, Dillon Brook didn’t have a good game, scoring only 5 points with 4 rebounds and 2 turnovers while shooting 2-6 FG and 1-3 from beyond the arc.
Unfortunately, Brooks got the last laugh as his Rockets blew the Lakers out in a 34-point win. It was the worst loss of the Lakers season so far and sent them to 3-5, behind Brooks’ Rockets who improved their record to 4-4.
LeBron James Thinks Dillon Brooks Earned His $80 Million Payday
Even though LeBron didn’t seem to be a big fan of what Brooks brings to the court during their playoff matchup, he seems to respect the agitator in him who is willing to take on any challenge. Many people believe Brooks got his payday from the Rockets this summer when the Grizzlies let him go because they appreciated his mentality of not backing down to a legend like LeBron.
James shares a similar sentiment, openly saying that Brooks deserved the contract he got despite how the playoffs ended for him and the Grizzlies.
“Every player that is awarded a contract for a reason and they are worthy for the contract they get,” said James. “I think in [Brooks] case, he was worthy of the contract he got. He’s put in the work since he came out of Oregon… Houston found value in him and now he’s here.”
Brooks has been good value for the Rockets so far this season, averaging 14.7 points and 4.6 rebounds on 538% shooting from three to start the season. His defense has been impactful and he has been making a lot of clutch shots to help the Rockets have the start they’ve had. Whether his impact can lead them to the playoffs is yet to be seen, but that will be a steep challenge that Brooks and Ime Udoka will be willing to take on.
LeBron James Opened Up On The Loss To The Rockets
James ended that game with a stat line of 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists. That isn’t the best game from LeBron, but it was still one of the best on the Lakers that night. They had no clue defensively and couldn’t make shots offensively. Injuries have already reared their ugly head, with various rotational players injured along with Anthony Davis. LeBron lamented the lack of continuity on the roster as one of the reasons for the loss.
“We can’t build cohesion if we don’t have our unit. We’re depleted on the injury side. I thought offensively, we did a good job of sharing the ball early on and getting a rhythm offensively. But they were just shooting the ball well.”
LeBron is averaging 24.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists to start the season and is the most impactful player on the Lakers. Unfortunately, he can’t handle such a workload with his age and the Lakers may have to go star-hunting to put a reliable option next to James and Davis to keep them competitive.
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