Nick Nurse Speaks Highly of Armoni Brooks With 10-Day Contract Nearing its End

The Toronto Raptors have been thrilled with how well Armoni Brooks has acclimated to the system on his second 10-day contract

Aaron Rose | Mar 22, 2022

Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors didn't know much about Armoni Brooks when he first showed up in Cleveland on a 10-day contract earlier this month.

They were desperate for some shooting help and the 23-year-old who went from 5-for-10 from behind the arc against them in the preseason seemed like a good enough solution to fill the void.

"We’ll see," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said at the time.

Well, with one more game left on his second 10-day contract, Brooks appears poised to land a full contract to join the Raptors for the remainder of the season.

"I think it's not easy to come in on a 10-day. I told him when he came in, I said, 'you've better be ready. You might not play a second, or you may end up starting around here.' And that's about the way it goes for him," Nurse said Monday night. "Listen, I think he's got a pretty good feel. I don't see him making a lot of mistakes, and that's a big thing for a role player. He doesn't seem to be afraid to take the shot, either."

Toronto Raptors guard Armoni Brooks (1) controls the ball in the in the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. — Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) moves the ball against Toronto Raptors guard Armoni Brooks (1) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. — Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors guard Armoni Brooks (1) reaches across Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. — Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors guard Armoni Brooks (1) reacts after scoring a three point shot in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. — Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Brooks hasn't blown anyone away with his on-court production so far. He's played in just seven games, made one start, and scored 17 points in 70 minutes, but he's been steady. He came in Monday night against the Chicago Bulls and banged in a pair of three-pointers, wisely drove to the bucket when Zach LaVine stepped out to the perimeter a little too far, and looked relatively mistake-free on defense.

It's taken a lot of catching up to do, Brooks said, to be where he's at defensively within Toronto's complex system. He's spent time after practice and shootaround going over tape and watching film with the coaching staff on team flights.

"It’s crazy because you can be so much more aggressive on defense because you notice that they get into the paint, it's like four 6-8 guys down there," Brooks said. "So it gives you a comfort level on defense and on offense."

That comfort level has certainly helped Brooks who has shown no hesitation going up with his shot. It would be easy for him to just move the ball around, trying to avoid mistakes, but he's shown a willingness to be aggressive on offense and take the kind of rhythm threes the Raptors love.

"The coaching staff tells me to shoot, my teammate tells me to shoot when I'm open. So it just gives you the confidence that when you see a shot that you feel like is a good one to let it fly," Brooks said.

Thursday will be Brooks' final game on his current contract. After that, Toronto either needs to let him go or sign him to a full contract and with the way things have looked lately, the Raptors would be wise to keep him around for the remainder of the year.

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