You know that old saying, "When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"? Well for athletes, when the only tool you have is your self-confidence you might see yourself as the solution to every problem.
To be fair to Dillon Brooks, he is having a fantastic season — playing stout defense and making half of his 3-pointers. But, he's also in his seventh NBA season and has staked out a reputation as a relentless gunner despite shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from beyond the arc. He's also been a good defensive player but his most definable trait as an NBA player, to this point, has been his extreme confidence in his own abilities.
That confidence explains how Dillon Brooks averaged nearly as many shots per 36 minutes as Ja Morant on the 2021-22 Grizzlies, despite posting an effective field goal percentage of 47.5. It explains why he can't seem to stop antagonizing LeBron James, despite getting repeatedly torched and posting a 5-14 career record against The King. It also explains how Brooks can look at the 3-10 Grizzlies and characterize their biggest issue as a lack of Dillon Brooks on the roster.
Dillon Brooks thinks the Grizzlies could really use a Dillon Brooks on the roster
Before his first matchup against his old team, Brooks told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, "It's like the girlfriend that you used to have. You don't know how good she is until she's gone." He also added about the Grizzlies, "You can see now they have no swagger," before going on to talk about how he's helping bring swagger to the Rockets.
To be fair, the Grizzlies could be probably use some swagger. And they could probably use a plus-wing defender who is making 50 percent os his 3s but that was definitely NOT who Brooks was last season.
They're also missing All-NBA point guard Ja Morant who is serving a 25-game suspension to begin the season, as well as starting center Steven Adams, who is out for the season after knee surgery, and key backup big man Brandon Clarke who is out for the year after an ACL injury. Their current injury report also includes Xavier Tillman, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard all of whom had been playing more than 20 minutes per game and are likely to be out of the lineup for weeks. Derrick Rose, another key offseason addition, has been healthy enough to play in just five games.
Dillon Brooks probably could help this team right now. But so could Aaron Brooks. Or MarShon Brooks. Heck, they could probably benefit from putting Scott Brooks in uniform for 7-8 minutes a night. The Grizzlies definitely need to get their swagger back but that's coming with Ja Morant. In the meantime, they just need any healthy body who can make a 3-pointer or stay between his man and the basket.