Dillon Brooks Wants The Last Word | Defector

"The Suns began the season without a first-round draft pick, and with a roster stocked almost entirely with variously limited shooting guards, assorted castoffs, and for some reason the Charlotte Hornets' entire post-pandemic center rotation. These guys, most pundits would have said before quickly shuffling down the projected standings to previewing the race for the 14 seed, are perhaps the biggest bummer in the NBA. Wrong; the Suns are 13-9, playing hypermodern hoops and lodging themselves firmly in the playoff race."

"The Canadian ass-kicker is enjoying the best statistical offensive season of his career, posting 22 points per game on slightly below-average shooting; in a season where Jalen Green has scarcely played and Grayson Allen's ankle sprain was a near-crisis, Brooks's willingness to take a bunch of shots and pull out his assortment of horrifically ugly one-on-one moves to make space matters a lot. But more than his scoring, it's Brooks's fight that is propelling his team."

"Lest we forget, Brooks is most famous for the events of the 2023 playoffs, when, as a member of the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, the player nicknamed "Villain" spent their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers cartoonishly antagonizing LeBron James-including punching him in the balls-while also shooting 31 percent from the floor in a six-game elimination. The Grizzlies wanted no part in keeping him around after that, reportedly telling him ahead of the 2023 offseason they wouldn't bring him back "under any circumstances.""

The Phoenix Suns entered the season without a first-round draft pick and a roster heavy on limited shooting guards, castoffs, and multiple veteran centers. The team has nevertheless compiled a 13-9 record while playing hypermodern basketball and positioning itself in the playoff race. Devin Booker has taken a significant step as a playmaker, but Dillon Brooks supplies the scoring volume, physicality, and relentless competitiveness that define Phoenix's edge. Brooks is averaging about 22 points per game on slightly below-average shooting and consistently uses ugly one-on-one moves to create space and energize the team, making his fight central to the Suns' success.

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