Phoenix Suns fans are already getting a glimpse of the kind of impact Dillon Brooks is going to bring this team in the coming season. Brooks showed in Phoenix's preseason opener the kind of energy and attitude he brings to any team he's a part of.
In one possession while defending the Lakers' Dalton Knecht, Brooks made multiple swipes at the ball, put his body into the opposing player, and dove on the floor for a loose ball, saving it to his team. If this is the kind of energy you're bringing in a preseason opener environment, just imagine what that will do for the rest of your teammates and your overall team culture.
Brooks has intensity and grit practically in his DNA. After beginning his career with the Memphis Grizzlies where the 'grit and grind' culture was embraced, it became that much more engrained in Dillon's spirit as a player. Now, he's an eight-year veteran that's made a living of being a pest defensively, and just coming out every night playing harder than his opponent.
It’s 100% Dillon Brooks. He sets this tone. He demands this energy from his team. When you see a guy doing all of this just in preseason, it inspires the WHOLE team to care more.
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) October 4, 2025
Stuff like this doesn’t show up in the stat sheet and is NOT easy to replace. https://t.co/IA4qTZMr4I
Brooks' intangibles are utterly invaluable
This is a Phoenix Suns team that has been counted out by the national media basically ever since we learned that Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal wouldn't be back. We don't have to act like those aren't two big losses, but I think the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction here. Now, nearly everyone is predicting the Suns to finish in the bottom four or five in the Western Conference.
With the expectations at seemingly an all-time low, it may very well be Brooks' intensity and culture-setting leadership that ends up changing the narrative for this team. Dillon's intensity would absolutely help positively influence any contending team, as it did with the Houston Rockets last year. But for a team projected to be in the lottery like the Suns, he may very well change the equation in a hurry as well.
If any of the guys on this roster were coming into media day and training camp expecting the vibes to be dreary and low-key given the summer this team had, they must have forgotten about Dillon Brooks. He's clearly ramped up the intensity from the jump, and I wouldn't be surprised to see others follow his lead sooner rather than later. If we see Phoenix routinely out-hustling their opponents and becoming a tough out this season, we can easily point to the likely reason why.