Houston Rockets: Dillon Brooks Deserves More Credit This Season

Dillon Brooks has been one of the Rockets most consistent players all season long.

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) reacts during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

In the Houston Rockets' semifinal game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, points were hard to come by. Like for most of the season, the Rockets struggled offensively and finished with only 96 points in the loss to the Thunder.

In a game where the Rockets shot only 23.9% from three-point range, Dillon Brooks stood out as one of the few bright spots on the offensive end. Although Brooks began the game strong, he struggled to maintain that momentum and finish effectively. Nevertheless, he contributed significantly by making over a third of the Rockets' 11 three-pointers, finishing with a shooting line of 4 for 13 from beyond the arc.

Brooks coming into Saturday's game was shooting a career high from 3-point range at 38%. That along with leading the league in defensive rating makes Brooks one of if not best 3 and D players in the league this season.

Brooks elite defense isn't a surprise as he has been one of the best defenders in the league for years but after ending last season struggling from 3-point range not many people expected a career high from downtown.

Brooks accomplished precisely what the Rockets had hoped for when they signed him as a free agent. He was brought in alongside Fred VanVleet to help turn around a Houston team that experienced the worst three-year period in franchise history after the trade of James Harden.

That is exactly what the veterans have done as the Rockets improved by 19 wins in their first season and are one of the surprise teams in the league this season at 17-9. Even with the success the Rockets do have a major flaw and that has been their shooting.

Teams are packing the paint, trying to take away Alperen Sengun in the post, and leaving Rockets shooters wide open. Unfortunately for Houston, most of their players have been unable to take advantage outside of Aaron Holiday and Brooks, the only two players shooting over 37%.

When Brooks signed his four-year, $20 million deal, many fans and NBA pundits thought it was a bad deal. Brooks was coming off a disappointing playoff series in the Memphis Grizzlies' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and many felt he was on the decline.

Brooks has proved a lot of people wrong in his year plus with the Rockets as he has been one of the most consistent players on the team not just on defense but also on the offensive end.

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