Dillon Brooks is an offensive machine for the University of Oregon
Oregon was in trouble. Only two minutes remained in an early January Pac-12 game against Arizona State, and the then-13th ranked Ducks were knotted at 64 with a scrappy Sun Devil squad. In the span of 57 seconds, though, UO junior Dillon Brooks nailed two free throws, hit a 3-pointer, and then connected on a pull-up jump shot, an explosion of seven straight points to give Oregon a comfortable 71-66 cushion, and ultimately the win.
Having the luxury of a player with Brooks’ skillset — a 6-foot-7 guard with an offensive rating of 115.1 who connects on 56 percent of his 2-pointers and 42 percent from deep — is something coach Dana Altman doesn’t take lightly. There aren’t many Ducks that can create for themselves as efficiently as Brooks, but what is most interesting about the junior, who’ll take the court Friday when the No. 3 faces off against No. 14 Iona, is that his game has subtly changed over the course of the past year. And without Chris Boucher, who tore his ACL in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals, there will be even more offensive onus on the guard.
Brooks has thrived on isolation possessions in 2017, and has transformed into one of the nation’s most effective one-on-one offensive threats. Entering the season, Altman knew he would have to heavily rely on Brooks for offense; even with Boucher, Jordan Bell, and Tyler Dorsey in the lineup, none possess the inside-out game that Brooks had already perfected. Per Hoop-Math.com, nearly 40 percent of Brooks’ non-transition baskets in 2016 were assisted, and he was scoring about .87 points per isolation (according to Synergy Sports). That’s a healthy dosage of one-on-one possessions — especially since college basketball is steadily mirroring the ball movement and pick-and-roll-laden offenses that have come to dominate the NBA level. Even the Ducks have decreased their reliance on isolation, going from 9 percent of the team’s overall possessions (in 2015) to 6.1 percent this season.
That’s a drastic dip. And yet, Brooks is the one Duck that Altman turns to whenever the squad needs a bucket. This season, just 32 percent of his halfcourt makes have been assisted (or 17 percent of his possessions), and he is scoring 1.18 PPP, which ranks Brooks as the most efficient high-usage iso player in the NCAA tournament field (per Synergy).
It’s been a startling reversal for Brooks, who allocated just 14 percent of his possessions to isolations in 2016. So what changed? For starters, Brooks also leads the team in assist rate (nearly 25 percent), and he’ll more than likely find an open teammate should their opponent help off to defend Brooks. And since Brooks is a versatile offensive threat, comfortable pulling up from deep or from midrange (for which he scores .95 PPP), Altman is confident his squad will score at a reasonable rate of return whenever Brooks is handling the ball. According to Synergy, Brooks’ plays-plus-assists rate is 1.2, which ranks in the 81st percentile.
It’s a familiar sight: Brooks receiving the ball atop the key while the rest of the Ducks settle beyond the 3-point line (four others connect on 36-plus percent of their attempts from deep). After surveying his defender, and how tightly he is being guarded, Brooks will use several jab steps before driving the hoop. Either he’ll pull up (scoring 1.17 PPP) or use a sneaky athleticism to gain an edge on his opponent — he connects on 67.4 percent (per Hoop-Math.com) of his attempts at the rim, which is second on the team. He also adroitly hooks his opponent whenever he drives baseline, which has yet to be whistled this season, and affords Brooks just another advantage on his drives.
Brooks’ effectiveness with his isolation possessions has factored heavily in Oregon’s overall slowdown this season. Before arriving in Eugene, Altman’s teams were known for playing at a reasonably quick pace, but that has plummeted in 2017: the team is using three fewer possessions than in 2016.
Next: One key stat why your team is doomed in March
Brooks possesses the total offensive package, which is why defenses struggle to guard him one-on-one, but how far can he propel Oregon into March Madness? The toughest test could come versus Rhode Island, a team the Ducks could face in the second round, but should the Pac-12 squad progress to the Sweet 16, there aren’t many defenders that possess Brooks’ speed and physicality. This could be the NCAA tournament where isolation—rather than three-pointers or transition buckets—is key.