Houston Rockets Player Season Review: Dillon Brooks

When the Houston Rockets were ready to move past the rebuilding phase of their long-term plans, they knew there were certain areas they would have to improve on. The Rockets were coming off their worst three-year stretch in franchise history heading into the 2023 offseason.

During that time, the Rockets only won 61 games and had the reputation around the league of a team with no direction or identity. The Rockets' first move to change their reputation and begin their transformation from bottom-dwellers to playoff contenders was hiring Ime Udoka.

Udoka is a hard-nosed, no-nonsense coach. He started his coaching career under the tutelage of Greg Popovich, which showed in his own coaching style as he was able to lead the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2022.

The Rockets' front office also realized they needed that same toughness and leadership on the court. In 2023, the Rockets made two huge free agency moves: signing NBA Champion and former All-Star Fred VanVleet and former Second-Team All-Defense small forward Dillon Brooks.

Brooks came to the Rockets after struggling in the Grizzlies' second-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Grizzlies decided they would not renew Brooks' contract after the forward spent his first six years in the league with Memphis.

Brooks had a strong start to his Rockets tenure, shooting above his career average from 3-point range for the first few months of the season. Unfortunately, he struggled in the final two months of the season, as the Rockets came up just short in their bid to make the play-in game.

Brooks and the entire Rockets team had one goal in mind: to make the playoffs and take that next step. The Rockets felt that making the playoffs was expected and that anything short would be a disappointment. Brooks again had a great start to the season, especially from 3-point range, but instead of fading down the stretch, Brooks maintained his shooting from beyond the arc for most of the season.

The emergence of Amen Thompson as a defensive stopper allowed Brooks to spend less time on the opposition's best player, which helped him not have to work so hard on the defensive end of the court. Brooks still made the same effort, but having another defensive stopper next to him in the starting lineup affected his improved shooting.

Brooks shot a career high from 3-point range, finishing the season at 39.7%, which was first on the team. Brooks' overall offensive game improved as well, as he averaged 14 points per game after averaging 12.7 in his first season with the Rockets.

Brooks also crashed the boards as he helped the Rockets finish with their best rebounding season since the 1970s. Brooks' improved play was one of the reasons the Rockets went from missing the playoffs at 41-41 to earning the second seed and winning 52 games.

Brooks had his ups and downs in the Rockets' first-round playoff loss to the Warriors. Brooks scored in double digits in the first five games of the series but only finished with a total of 11 points in Game 6 and Game 7. In Game 7, Brooks only shot 3-9 from the field, and the Rockets saw their season come to an end.

Despite the struggle at the end of the playoffs, Brooks has shown to be a reliable, tough-minded veteran leader, which was exactly what the Rockets were hoping for when they signed him in free agency.