5 upcoming free agents playing for a new deal in the NBA Playoffs
By Lior Lampert
3. Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks has been a hot topic of discussion this season. Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been for the right reasons. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and the Grizzlies will need to decide whether or not it makes sense to retain him.
Brooks’ on-court antics have become highly documented. He is an agitator who likes to get under the opposing team’s skin. He plays with such a ferocity and chip on his shoulder to the point it can be deemed reckless at times. However, he is a strong defender and makes his presence known at that end.
The same cannot be said for his offense. He continues to struggle with poor decision-making on the offensive side of the floor. While he has proven to be a capable NBA shooter, he is way too trigger-happy for a player who struggles to shoot consistently.
Dillon Brooks is averaging 14.3 points while taking 13.6 field goal attempts a game this season, shooting 39.6 percent from the field. A high-volume, low-efficiency scorer, he’s hurt the Grizzlies at times with his eagerness to shoot the ball.
Playing the role of the NBA’s villain can take a toll on how teams around the league value you especially if you are negatively impacting the on-court product.
Do the Grizzlies or any team want to commit to Brooks for the foreseeable future knowing they have to deal with his antics and subpar offensive production? Is the value he brings on the defensive end of the floor enough to overcome his deficiencies?
Dillon Brooks has also not done a very good of making friends and creating connections in the NBA. He has accumulated more than $300,000 in fines while also being tied for the most technical fouls committed in the NBA this year.
It will be fascinating to see how Brooks’ offseason plays out and how teams value him.