Memphis Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks has leaned into his identity as an instigator, someone who's not afraid to get underneath the skin of his opponents. However, opponents, none more prominent than Klay Thompson in recent days, have learned to clap back, stifling Brooks and the Grizzlies' scathing trash talk in the process. He even admitted as much after Memphis lost convincingly to the Phoenix Suns, 125-108, despite the absence of Devin Booker.
Speaking with reporters after the loss, Dillon Brooks said that the Grizzlies haven't been able to take what they have been dishing out.
“I feel like this season when we get talked back to, we just freeze up,” Brooks said, per Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal.
It hasn't been the best five-game stretch for the Grizzlies. They have lost four of their past five games, including a blowout defeat against the shorthanded Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day. Brooks himself was on the receiving end of an embarrassing disparaging from Klay Thompson after the Grizzlies' incessant mentioning of the word “dynasty,” which irritated the Warriors sharpshooter beyond belief.
During the loss to the Suns, Dillon Brooks got into yet another heated confrontation, this time with Torrey Craig. After Brooks forced a Chris Paul turnover, the Grizzlies wing found himself in a two-on-one fastbreak with Ja Morant. He ended up forcing a layup, which led to a Craig chasedown rejection.
Craig let the Grizzlies' instigator know that they're not afraid of being talked down to by the core of a team whose greatest achievement over the past few years is making it into the second round of the postseason. Of course, the Suns won't forget the bulletin board material Brooks gave them when he called out Devin Booker following the Grizzlies' win over the Suns last Friday.
Torrey Craig blocks Dillon Brooks at the rim pic.twitter.com/zLbhZ5WwCo
— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) December 28, 2022
Perhaps the Grizzlies are biting off more than they can chew at the moment. And with the team, led by Ja Morant, being as young as they are, it may serve them better in the long run to keep their mouth shut more often and let their games do the talking.
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