Phoenix Suns small forward Dillon Brooks appeared on the latest episode of Deflected, where he was asked for his Mount Rushmore of players at his position. Brooks picked players based on the present, but still made some wild choices.
“Brandon Ingram, let’s put your boy in there, Cooper Flagg,” Brooks said. “I’m trying to think of any threes… Jalen Williams. That’s a good one, too. There’s only four heads on Mount Rushmore, right?… I’m Canadian. So sometimes I see five. Kawhi Leonard.”
Now, Brooks had also been asked who among that group is the most beatable, and he said Kawhi Leonard is the only one who isn’t.
“Three of those guys are beatable except for Kawhi,” Brooks said. “It’s hard to get to him. He’s so focused on what the mission or the game plan is. So it’s like all the bumps and the little stuff you can do don’t affect him. And then he’s just a machine. Still haven’t figured that one out. We’re going to figure it out.”
That’s very high praise. Brooks, who averaged 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26, doesn’t usually give such compliments, which speaks to Leonard’s greatness. The 35-year-old is coming off an excellent campaign, too.
Leonard put up 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2025-26. He finished seventh in MVP voting and made the All-NBA Second Team.
Not many would argue against Leonard being on the Mount Rushmore. For the other three, though, there would be plenty of arguments.
Brandon Ingram was the first name Brooks mentioned, and he put up 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Toronto Raptors in 2025-26. It was a solid campaign and saw Ingram make the All-Star team for just the second time in his career.
Interestingly, Leonard and Ingram were set to be traded for each other this offseason. The Raptors put the trade on hold, though, because of the investigation into the seven-time All-Star and the Clippers.
Getting back to the Mount Rushmore, Brooks selected Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg next, and there was clearly some bias involved. The 30-year-old was with his Suns teammate Khaman Maluach here, and the big man played with Flagg at Duke. They both ended up being first-round picks in 2025, with the forward selected No. 1 overall.
Flagg lived up to the hype, as he averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Mavericks in 2025-26. He won Rookie of the Year and is going to be a superstar in the future.
Lastly, we get to Jalen Williams, who might have been a no-brainer of a pick this time last year. Williams made the All-NBA Third Team and the All-Defensive Second Team with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025. He shone on the court but wasn’t able to build on that campaign because of injuries.
Williams averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Thunder in 2025-26. He played just 33 games, primarily due to hamstring issues. If the injury bug stays away, expect Williams to be one of the best small forwards in the NBA next season.
So, this is quite an interesting group. As for notable omissions, there are a few that immediately come to mind.
Jaylen Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Boston Celtics in 2025-26. Brown, who has been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, finished sixth in MVP voting (one spot ahead of Leonard) and made the All-NBA Second Team.
Kevin Durant was another who made the All-NBA Second Team. Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Houston Rockets in 2025-26. He is no longer in his prime, but remains one of the best at the position.
Speaking of players who are out of their prime, but still pretty good, we get to 76ers superstar LeBron James. James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025-26. The 41-year-old led the Lakers to a playoff series victory over the Rockets, and there aren’t many players around today who can claim to have pulled off a feat like that.
It’s not a surprise that Brooks didn’t include James, though. He called him the most overrated player in the NBA back in January. There is, of course, a bit of a rivalry here.
Despite that, Brooks did include James in his all-time Mount Rushmore. You could argue he doesn’t belong in a present small forward Mount Rushmore, but he absolutely does if you’re looking at NBA history.
