“People will suddenly realize”: NBA executive labels ‘Villain’ Dillon Brooks as breakout candidate citing FIBA showing

Dillon Brooks suffered a bit of a PR image downfall after the playoffs last season. He talked a lot of smack towards LeBron James and the LA Lakers. The Lakers responded by sending Brooks and the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies home in the first round. Even Brooks’ free-agent stock seemed to take a bit of a dive as well.

Brooks ended up signing a four-year, $86 million deal with the Houston Rockets, prior to the NBA 2023-24 season. He also had a bit of a breakout as a member of Team Canada during the FIBA World Cup. Brooks put together some clutch performances and big scoring outputs as his team won the bronze medal after defeating Team USA in overtime.

One NBA executive believes Brooks’ abilities will shine in the upcoming season. He thinks he will shed the “villain” labels and people will realize he is a solid player.

“As we saw in the World Cup, he’s an elite defensive player who is a good offensive player. He doesn’t have to change at all, but now that he’s a name that’s on the radar, people will suddenly realize what he really is,” an NBA executive said. [via HoopsHype]

Brooks, known for his defense, often takes on the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best scorer for the entirety of the time he is on the floor. The forward also showed off his scoring abilities this summer at the World Cup.

While donning the Canada jersey, Brooks put up double figures in scoring in six of eight games during the tournament. He amped up to another level against the United States in the bronze medal game.

Brooks went off on the squad full of NBA talent. He scored 39 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He also went 7-of-8 from 3-point range.

If Brooks can add that kind of shooting to his defensive game, he could see his stock rise back up. He could elevate to one of the best 3-and-D wings in the league if he can find that kind of consistent shooting.

Dillon Brooks with the Houston Rockets

Dillon Brooks figures to be one of the veteran presences on the young Rockets team. He should balance out the younger players and be the team’s best defender. He will have the task of guarding the opposing team’s best player even more often than he did in Memphis.

Dillon Brooks may also need to be a catch-and-shoot threat from deep for the Rockets. Their best player Jalen Green is an attack first guard. He will need players on the wings to kick out to. Dillon Brooks can become one of those catch-and-shoot options.