Dillon Brooks arrived to the Phoenix Suns with a reputation as the guy who went and LeBron James and failed badly while with the Memphis Grizzlies. If you have been paying attention though, you'll know that the 29-year-old hasn't acted in that way in a long time, going back to his tenure with the Houston Rockets.
NBA needs to move on from the old Brooks narrative.
It took him less than 15 games in The Valley to completely change the culture of the roster he is now a part of, and the Suns are reaping the benefits as a result. In many ways he is the physical embodiment of the defensive style that head coach Jordan Ott wants this group to play, and they are an above average defensive team as a result.
Dillon Brooks just received a technical foul from the Suns' bench, even though he's not playing tonight 😅 pic.twitter.com/Yo0hnD07Eu
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 5, 2025
Moments like the one above are always going to happen when Brooks is in town, but he is towing the line better than ever and that fire is what gets his teammates going as well. It is a lazy comparison to say he is the Suns' version of Draymond Green, because he is actually more reserved and less prone to losing the head in the way the Golden State Warriors' forward does.
Brooks is getting to the line 3.9 times per game, and converting on 91.4 percent of those shots, both of which are a career high. He is being aggressive and assuming the role of being the second best player on this team, which on many nights he is. When that isn't the case, he remains the second most important behind Devin Booker.
Offensively he's chipping in with some valuable points too, allowing the Suns to turn into the offensive machine it was hoped they could become under coach Ott. Giving them over 20 points each night is not only massive for the Suns, it is another career high. It would be a stretch to say the Rockets miss that production, because they have Kevin Durant instead.
But what they are lacking is a guy who makes every regular season game feel important, with sleepwalking through contests one of the worst hallmarks of Durant's time in Phoenix. Brooks helped to reset the culture in Houston after James Harden departed, and he is raising the floor of another team in the Suns this season as well.
So you need to forget about the guy who needlessly got himself into trouble with the Grizzlies and who foolishly tried to go at LeBron. Brooks has matured into an excellent leader for another younger roster. More than that, he's having a career year on both ends of the court and the best could be yet to come once Jalen Green is healthy and alongside him once more.