Well, Dillon Brooks sure made a name for himself, did he? Before the NBA playoffs (and really, before this season), casual fans might have known Brooks vaguely as that player for the Memphis Grizzlies. Over the course of the 2022-23 season, Brooks became one of the most hated players in the league. His trash-talking and perceived under-handed tactics made him a villain in the eyes of many fans.
It certainly didn't get any better in the playoffs. Facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers, Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies took Game 2 against LeBron James and co. Afterwards, Brooks made some… spicy comments about LeBron. That trash-talk completely backfired, as LeBron and the Lakers took Memphis' lunch money for the next games, handily beating them in Game 6.
Now, Dillon Brooks' contract with the Grizzlies is up. Should Memphis re-sign the forward to a new deal? Here's a few reasons why that's a bad idea.
Brooks is an offensive stopper
Let's clear up one thing first: Dillon Brooks isn't necessarily a bad basketball player. He's a regular rotation player for a reason. His biggest asset is his defense. At 6'7, Brooks is often tasked with defending the Grizzlies opponents' best wing player. The advanced stats show that he's at least a positive on that end, contributing 2.4 defensive win shares this season. He's legitimately a good, sometimes great defender.
The problem with Brooks, though, isn't his defense. It's his god-awful offense that is a major eyesore for Grizzlies fans. The best way to describe his offense is that he, more often than not, thinks he's an elite-level scorer. And, news flash, he's not that guy. That wasn't always a problem in Memphis: before the Ja Morant era, Brooks had the green light to keep chucking shots. He was, for better or for worse, their best shot creator.
Over the last few seasons, though, the pecking order has completely changed. The Grizzlies now have a bevy of other shot creators and playmakers to lead their offense. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr all are more capable of shooting and scoring at a high level. However, Brooks doesn't seem to understand that, often taking “heat check” shots and other ill-advised shots that kill the flow of the offense. That's reflected in his advanced stats: both Basketball-Reference's Offensive Box Plus-Minus and ESPN's Offensive Real Plus-Minus paint him as a negative on offense.
The Grizzlies can definitely get a three-and-D player who can defend just as well as Dillon Brooks while providing none of the negatives on offense.
Grizzlies need to clear space for Bane
Another reason why the Grizzlies shouldn't re-sign Dillon Brooks is the upcoming contract of Desmond Bane. Bane broke out last season as a worthy second option behind Morant last season, and he continued his excellence to the 2022-2023 season. Bane became a 21 PPG scorer on great efficiency (47% from the field and 40% from three), all while providing playmaking and defense to the team.
You can think of Bane as a slightly smaller but more versatile version of Dillon Brooks. He's not as good as Brooks on defense (his smaller frame is a reason for that), but he makes up for it with efficient scoring and playmaking. If the Grizzlies were to pick between the two players, they'd likely choose Bane.
The way Bane is playing over the last few seasons, a juicy contract extension is on the cards. At the very least, the Grizzlies might try and keep Brooks for a year before Bane's extension kicks in (2023-24 is a club option). If Brooks doesn't agree to that, though… he's as good as gone.
Bad Vibes
This one isn't a completely objective reason, but it's worth noting nonetheless. The Grizzlies' fall from NBA darlings to most hated team in the NBA is well-documented. Just two seasons ago, they were the plucky underdogs that everyone was rooting for. Cut to today, and their reputation was so bad that neutral die-hard fans were actively cheering for the Lakers. THE LAKERS!
Most of the hate likely stems from the many off-court troubles Ja Morant has gotten himself into. However, Dillon Brooks certainly takes some of the blame for the incessant trash-talking he was doing all season long. The most infamous example, of course, is his now-viral diss of LeBron James, where he said he doesn't respect anyone that doesn't drop 40 on them.
Trash talking, contrary to most people's opinion, is great. It makes the game feel a lot more real, adds more emotion to a game, that sort of thing. However, even trash talk can cross a line where it becomes disrespectful. Dillon Brooks' smack talk only served to give the Lakers bulletin board material for the series. What's worse is that Brooks couldn't walk his talk: He was near-invisible during the series, getting tossed around by LeBron, AD, and the rest of the Lakers.
If you have a player that's an offensive liability that also constantly gives your opponents “bulletin board” stuff to get themselves pumped up, you might want to reconsider keeping him around.
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