Dillon Brooks has been stellar this season, as he has gone from being a 3-and-D player to becoming one of the best players on the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker is the clear-cut star, but Brooks has worked himself into being a true second option.
While some people might still see Brooks as a nuisance to his opponents, he has truly become a reliable offensive option. Suns head coach Jordan Ott is pleased to see this development, as he always saw potential in Brooks.
Ott praises Brooks for his contributions and energy
As many NBA fans have pointed out, Brooks has always been a player who can be polarizing. For fans who have him on their team, they will cheer for him no matter what, but his opponents will always love booing him.
Considering Brooks was part of the package from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Kevin Durant, he had some big shoes to fill. Jalen Green has barely played this season, so it was up to Brooks to contribute and help Booker. He has done just that, as he is averaging 21.7 points per game this season.
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As a rookie head coach, Ott is doing well with the Suns. He has a good core group that is led by Booker and Brooks. This is huge for Phoenix because they want to make the Playoffs and prove they can succeed without Durant. Ott credits Brooks for being one of the team's leaders and maintaining control in high-pressure situations.
"He's been tremendous. We love his energy. We love his competitive spirit. It's lifted our entire group. We feed off of it... We've talked about it. He's got to get to the edge and not go over. It's with the whole group. It's with myself," Ott said about Brooks to the Suns media.
As long as Brooks is playing this way, it is hard for Ott to be disappointed. Most NBA fans did not expect this from Brooks, and it looks like he can sustain this for the rest of the season. That is already an achievement, but he is working towards more success as the Suns' second-best player behind Booker.
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