Dillon Brooks might be one of the most disliked players in the NBA right now, there’s no questioning his place in the NBA. He’s an All-Defense caliber defender and has recently added a controversial but strangely legal move when it comes to contesting three-pointers. Brooks essentially high-fives the shooter after they’ve released the ball, which usually doesn’t lead to a foul call.
Dillon Brooks has recently found a new technique to effectively contest jump shooters: High fiving.
If you make contact with the shooter's hand after the ball's release, it's considered legal, and understanding that has enabled Brooks to be a lot more aggressive without fouling. pic.twitter.com/6iLz6XoTMc
— Itamar (@Itamar_17_10) February 26, 2024
The crucial part is that this isn’t expressly forbidden in the NBA rule book. In fact, the NBA rule book does not have a clear definition of whether a move like this counts as a foul. Crucially, it’s up to the referees’ discretion if they want to rule a post-shot high-five as a foul or not, depending on whether they think the contact was intentional or incidental.
“The shooting motion does not end until the shooter returns safely to the floor, and the contact here exceeds the allowable guidelines, this is a foul in the act of shooting. When attempting to block a shot, contact by defenders can be either incidental or illegal, depending on the level of contact, the location of the contact, and the timing of the contact given the shooter’s motion. Note that after the shooter releases the ball, contact with the shooter’s hand during the shooter’s follow-through can be deemed legal, provided that the contact is incidental, and it is not hostile, nor overly physical.”
With this understanding, it’s clear this contest will occasionally receive calls but will go un-called more often than not. If Brooks keeps doing this, the officials will become more lenient as they can’t disrupt the flow of the game by consistently calling fouls on Brooks for this contest.
Hopefully, the league can provide clarity behind what can be done in this situation. If they don’t, this will be the center of controversy if the Rockets become contenders, and a call or a no-call costs them or other teams crucial games in the regular season or playoffs.
Dillon Brooks Is Exactly What Houston Needed
While the early high of the Rockets’ success has worn out and the team looks destined to be out of the Play-in Tournament this season, this has been a very encouraging season for fans. Ime Udoka has revamped them into a competent defensive team despite a young roster Signing Dillon Brooks in the summer was a crucial part in enabling this turnaround, as he’s been the defensive tone-setter for the franchise.
He’s averaging 13.8 points and 3.5 rebounds this season. He can’t be a featured offensive piece on a contending roster but is a great 3-and-D option for a team at that level. The Rockets haven’t progressed that far ahead yet, so we have had to sit through a ton of lowlights from Brooks this season as well.
That doesn’t change the fact that the Rockets needed a voice like Brooks’ in the locker room after being one of the worst teams in the NBA for three consecutive seasons. He’s added a spark and urgency to the team on the court, acting like an enforcer for a team with a lack of it.
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