Lion Dillon Brooks is soon ready to come out of his cage again. As he spends his final days of rehabilitation, the Canadian winger has supplemented his strength training sessions with shooting work and training sessions with the rest of the team. This is a sign that his return is near, as he underlined before the match won down to the wire in Detroit last night.
Currently in the middle of a six-game road trip, Houston hopes to be able to count on him before returning to Texas. So there's still Boston this evening, Philadelphia this Monday then the Knicks on Wednesday. The person concerned is obviously confident.
“I’m thinking of coming back on this road trip. I don't know which match yet. When I've had a few more tests. But I'm completely ready”, did he declare.
For now, he still needs to tick a few boxes, including ensuring that he no longer feels any pain by putting his abdominal muscles to the test under all possible contortions and hyper-extensions. Absent since December 26, he has learned to be patient by giving his advice and encouraging his teammates.
“It was a struggle. I want to be on the field so much. I talk to them about switching, being disciplined when they do it, and every time they see an opportunity to attack the circle or whatever, to try to exploit it,” he added.
All the while, his coach Ime Udoka realized what he had lost in terms of impact on the wing. He also knows what he is about to find…
“He’s a real defender, one of the best in the league on the wing. He is versatile and can defend from position 1 to 4. He can defend on anyone. Some members of our team defend well in certain positions, but Dillon can do it all”he stressed. “That’s what makes him one of the best wing defenders in the league in terms of size, physicality, his ability to follow guys, go into battle with them. Where someone might be overwhelmed or not have the speed to move, he does a little bit of everything.”
| Dillon Brooks | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | SAME | 82 | 29 | 44.0 | 35.6 | 74.7 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 11.0 |
| 2018-19 | SAME | 18 | 18 | 40.2 | 37.5 | 73.3 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 7.5 |
| 2019-20 | SAME | 73 | 29 | 40.7 | 35.8 | 80.8 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 16.2 |
| 2020-21 | SAME | 67 | 30 | 41.9 | 34.4 | 81.5 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 17.2 |
| 2021-22 | SAME | 32 | 28 | 43.2 | 30.9 | 84.9 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 18.4 |
| 2022-23 | SAME | 73 | 30 | 39.6 | 32.6 | 77.9 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 14.3 |
| 2023-24 | HOU | 28 | 31 | 47.6 | 40.8 | 83.3 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 13.6 |
| Total | 373 | 29 | 41.9 | 34.7 | 79.7 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 14.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
