PHOENIX — Dillon Brooks arrived in the desert exactly as advertised. During a September pickup run at the Phoenix Suns’ practice facility, the veteran forward barked at referees hired for the scrimmage, drew two quick technical fouls and left new teammate Collin Gillespie laughing at the outburst. “That’s when I realized he was different,” the guard said.
Four months later, Brooks’ combustible energy has become a cornerstone of an unexpected turnaround. Phoenix sits 24-16, seventh in the Western Conference and just a half-game behind the Houston Rockets, the club that sent Brooks to the Suns as part of last summer’s Kevin Durant trade.
The roster overhaul
Owner Mat Ishbia pivoted after the NBA’s highest payroll produced a 36-46 record and a lottery appearance last season. Durant was dealt, Bradley Beal was waived, and Ishbia demanded a roster that mirrored the scrappy mind-set he learned as a Michigan State walk-on. “He’s exactly what we want to be,” Ishbia said of Brooks. “Tough, driven and relentless.”
Brooks’ on-court impact
The 30-year-old wing is averaging a career-best 21.3 points on 45.7 percent shooting, taking 17.3 attempts per game as Devin Booker’s primary scoring partner. He already owns three 30-point performances this season—two more than he posted in two years with Houston—while anchoring the Suns’ perimeter defense and setting a no-nonsense tone in practice.
“Anybody who gets annoyed by him would love to have him as a teammate,” Booker said. “He guards star players, he holds everyone accountable, and Phoenix loves it.”
Technical fouls and tough love
Brooks’ edge comes at a cost. He led the league with 13 technical fouls through mid-January after being whistled 31 times during his two seasons in Houston. The possibility of another automatic suspension looms, yet Brooks shrugs, calling his confrontational style an essential fuel.
“I talk, I yell, that’s my persona,” he said, noting that the real work happens before sunrise. Brooks regularly arrives at 7 a.m. for workouts and challenges teammates to match his routine. “He’s in the gym more than anybody,” Gillespie said. “You might not like being yelled at, but it makes you better.” Gillespie, averaging 13.2 points, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals in an expanded role, now answers to the nickname “Villain Jr.”
From Memphis exit to Phoenix rebirth
Brooks signed a four-year, $86 million deal with Houston in 2024 after Memphis opted not to re-sign him, concerned that his trash talk had become a distraction. The Rockets valued his toughness and reached 52-30 last season, but included him in the Durant package when the Hall of Famer became available. General manager Rafael Stone told Brooks he was reluctant to part with him, but the opportunity to land Durant was unavoidable.
“I didn’t want to fall off,” Brooks said of the changes since his Memphis departure. “Coming here let me showcase that I’m really a two-way player.”
New coach, new culture
First-year head coach Jordan Ott has given Brooks the green light on the shots Memphis once tried to curtail. Center Mark Williams, acquired on draft night from Charlotte, plugs the hole in the middle, and a Flagstaff, Arizona, minicamp organized by Booker forged early chemistry. “The vibes are always high,” Booker said.
Whether the Suns can sustain their climb remains uncertain, but Brooks’ influence is already clear: more defense, more urgency and, inevitably, more noise.
Source: ESPN
