The Phoenix Suns secured a dominant 114-96 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night behind a monster performance from Dillon Brooks. On a special occasion where the Suns’ franchise distributed “Dillon the Villain” t-shirts to the audience, Brooks responded in kind with a high-scoring display.
Dillon Brooks’ 40-point outing perfectly captured his growth into a star-caliber player for the Suns. With the media referring to Charles Barkley‘s comment about Brooks deserving an All-Star nod after the game, the forward addressed whether he should be named one with a cool message.
“Yeah, I feel like I’m playing at that level,” Brooks said. “Ultimately, I’m not gonna beg for it or do anything like that.. If it comes, it comes. But our real All-Star is Book (Devin Booker). He’s been leading us this whole time, and he deserves to be in that All-Star talk and being a reserve on that All-Star team.”
Although Dillon Brooks credited his teammate Devin Booker as the team’s primary superstar, Brooks has been equally impressive. After the game, Suns guard Collin Gillespie was among the first to advocate for Brooks’ case as an All-Star during his post-game availability, stating:
“Get your phones out. Dillon Brooks is an All-Star. Start voting for him.”
While claiming that Booker should be a “lock” as a reserve, Gillespie confidently asserted the Suns had two All-Stars.
The response from the media and his teammates appears to be overwhelmingly positive for Brooks. Given that he had earned a reputation for being a menacing role player in the league, his sudden rise to stardom while embracing the villain role is noteworthy.
Does Dillon Brooks Deserve To Be An All-Star?
In only his first season with the Phoenix Suns, Dillon Brooks has filled some big shoes. After the offseason trade sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, the arrival of Brooks and Jalen Green was met with pessimism.
Although Green was presented as the new running mate for Booker, his hamstring injury sidelined him early in the campaign, limiting his availability.
Under these unfavorable circumstances, Brooks rose to the occasion for the Suns. With averages of 21.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 35.2% from three-point range this season, the forward established himself as one of the team’s most reliable players.
The team has evidently adopted Dillon Brooks’ fiery personality, and the overall impact this has had on the Suns’ performance has been tangible. Considering the Suns have a 28-19 record (seventh in the West), the team has certainly improved its standing compared to last season.
Purely in terms of impact, Brooks deserves to be considered for a nod, especially given the format for this year’s All-Star Game. Still, due to the depth of talent in the league, especially in the frontcourt, there is a very real possibility that he gets overlooked.
