Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke. These are the faces of the Memphis Grizzlies young core and the ones that receive (well-deserved) praise from the national media. However, there is another, lesser-known member of the crew that deserves just as much attention as these youngins. And his name is Dillon Brooks.

Rollercoaster Start

A third-year product out of Oregon, Brooks actually did receive a fair amount of attention in college (largely due to his on-court antics) as well as when he first entered the NBA. He was a second-round pick averaging 11 points per game on solid shooting splits (44/35/74). That’s about as good of production as you could want from a late-rounder. But as his rookie season dragged on and the Grizzlies fell further and further into the standings, his efforts fell into the shadows. Regardless, the foundation for a promising career was set. As for his sophomore season, Brooks ended up tearing a ligament in his big toe just 11 games in, effectively ending his 2018-19 year.

This Year

However, this season, through 41 games, Dillon Brooks might be one of the most undervalued players in the league. At 23 years old (about to turn 24), Brooks is averaging a career-high 15.1 points per game on 41.1% shooting from the field and 38.5% from behind the arc. His game is reminiscent of Joe Johnson with a hint of Jeff Green’s streakiness. Because although most efficient taking catch-and-shoot threes, it is not uncommon for Brooks to take his opponents into isolation. Case in point, about 30% of his field goals are unassisted. Once in isolation, he typically likes to utilize his naturally quick first step to leverage himself into an elbow jumper and then just rises above a (usually) smaller guard. It’s kind of Kobe-esque.

Dillon Brooks rises up for a jump shot vs. the Sacramento Kings.

Photo Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

His only other go-to move is to (once again) use 6’6″ stature and take a guard into the post for a mid-range fade-away. However, I will admit that Dillon does suffer from Jeff Green Syndrome as he is not always the most consistent scorer. Specifically, at the start of the season, it was impossible to gauge if Brooks was going to drop 30 points… or 10 points. So much so that the Grizzlies broadcast even dubbed him as the ‘Human Torch” because you never knew when he was going to erupt. But, over the last 10 games, Brooks has kept it fairly consistent averaging a cool 19 points per game on 44% shooting from the field.

Going Forward

I mean, obviously I’m not trying to argue that Dillon Brooks is going to develop into some superstar that takes over the league. But I do think that he could end up having a very Joe Johnson-like career. He may never grow into a great defender or facilitator. Rather, he will be known as a professional bucket-getter. Mentioned in the same breath as guys like Lou Williams, Iso Joe, and Jamal Crawford. Guys who always stick around, sneak into some all-star games, and win some Sixth Man Of The Year awards. It’s an unlikely path to the Hall of Fame but it is a path that will make you extremely popular among your NBA peers as if there is one thing that we’ve learned from the NBA All-Star players vote, it’s that they love anyone that is a flat out scorer.

Featured Image: Arizona Sports