The Phoenix Suns continue their Eastern Conference road swing Thursday against an Indiana Pacers outfit that has won only 15 games all season, and we are getting closer to the return of Dillon Brooks.
Footage from shootaround in Indiana prior to the game showing the Canadian international taking part and no longer wearing a cast on his broken left hand.
Return of Brooks will be massive boost to Suns
The eventual return of Brooks sooner rather than later will give this group the lift they need to try and avoid the play-in tournament, such is the importance of Brooks this season.
Suns at Pacers.
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 12, 2026
Quick notes.
1 Dillon Brooks w/o protective cast on fractured left hand.
2 Mark Williams w/o boot on left foot.
3 Devin Booker reaction to Bam Adebayo historic 83-point night.
Story incoming.
Flashback: Booker 59-point night w/Jimmer Fredette cameo. #Suns pic.twitter.com/8R3PMXRtzl
The Suns have the 11th toughest remaining schedule of any team in the league, so getting him back in the rotation will be massive when it does finally happen.
The franchise has also started getting more regular contributions from rookie center Khaman Maluach, and he looks like just the guy who will thrive alongside Brooks down the stretch.
You need only look at the Houston Rockets as well, to see that they have badly missed his leadership and tenacity this season.
This is not a criticism of Kevin Durant, but his style and way of doing things is different and has led to a section of Rockets fans fed up already of having him on their team.
Compare that to Brooks, who is the emotional heartbeat and who fans can't wait to see back out there. Everybody from Devin Booker to Collin Gillespie looks better when he plays.
The Pacers just so happen to have the toughest remaining schedule of all teams, and Brooks is not going to play for some time yet.
But the fact he's on the trip at all shows how committed he is to the team, while the Suns won't need him when they take to the court in Indiana.
Brooks also participated in some contact drills, and he did so alongside Mark Williams who was also out there without his boot.
The 30-year-old failed to make the All-Star team this season for the first time, and since breaking his hand has fallen off the national radar.
Bam Adebayo scoring 83 points in a game will do that to pretty much everybody else in the league.
But if the Suns are who they think they are, then having him back on the court soon to help push them to the playoffs will prove he truly was snubbed for the midseason exhibition.