Dillon Brooks held a media event in Phoenix on Friday, with Doug Haller of The Athletic (subscription required) in attendance to hear what the always-entertaining Canadian international had to say at this stage of the offseason. Haller had an interesting comment in the aftermath, claiming that Brooks has become Shawn Marion to Devin Booker’s Steve Nash.
Brooks becoming Marion 2.0 is key to Suns reaching higher level
If you look back at the 30-year-old's first season in The Valley, he is already well on his way to reaching "Matrix" status. He loves to annoy elite scorers and get in their faces, and although he's not as good an on-ball defender as Marion was in his prime, he does a credible impression.
He's even proven he can have big nights when Booker doesn't have it. One such example came in the playoff series versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he was the Suns' best player and hit some outrageous shots in Game 3 to keep the team alive.
They were swept, but he went at anybody who tried to stop him, and that's admirable.
The 3-point shot is an area where Brooks can actually have an edge, although Marion at one point was a 38.7 percent shooter from deep (the 2002-03 campaign resulted in a career-high 4.5 attempts per game on the way to his first All-Star appearance).
Brooks is already better and more consistent, and he has spoken of his desire to improve even more. He is unfortunately missing one of the best coaches in franchise history, although Jordan Ott has already gotten the best out of him on both ends of the court.
Brooks can become franchise legend in way Marion never managed
The key difference between the pair is the fact that Marion was a youngster in Phoenix and won a championship elsewhere. Brooks has come to the team close to his final form, and improbably helping them win it all would make him more of a legend than Marion already is.
We love the comparisons, and if Brooks can become a first-time All-Star himself and be the co-star Booker needs to continue to compete, then there is a chance this all breaks right and the Suns get out of the first round.
He doesn't have the same athleticism, and the way in which he shuts down opponents is more methodical, as opposed to using raw strength and power to slow them down. But Dillon Brooks does look like this generation's answer to Shawn Marion, a take Haller got 100 percent correct.
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