If he was capable of some interesting outings, Armoni Brooks failed to make his mark in the NBA. He arrived in 2020 and neither in Houston, nor in Toronto or Brooklyn, he was able to convince. He even spent an entire season, in 2022/23, in the G-League.
Result: he turned to Europe. In Italy precisely, to Olimpia Milano. A club dear to his eyes since his mentor, Keith Langford, played in Milan in the early 2010s.
“I texted him over the summer to tell him I signed here. He was super excited. He told me I was going to love it here and gave me some tips on how to adjust. He told me it would be a great opportunity for me.”Armoni Brooks tells the official website of his team.
Keith Langford, even more so, did not manage to stay in the NBA (two games with the Spurs in the last days of 2007). But he established himself as one of the best scorers in the Euroleague for a large part of the last decade.
“Last summer we trained together a few times,” recalls Armoni Brooks. “He gave me tips on how to take advantage of certain situations for myself and the team. Now we talk at least once a week and he's a role model for me. I can turn to him when I need advice because I know he's going to help me.”
He will discover a new basketball
The former Houston and Brooklyn player will discover the Euroleague at 26 years old, thus taking a leap into the unknown. “I don't really know what to expect: I've never played here. So I'm trying to figure things out.”he explains.
Does his coach expect something special from him? “He hasn't asked me anything yet, but I'm sure he will,” the player answers. “He just told me to be aggressive, stay confident and play hard. The rest will follow.”
Armoni Brooks nevertheless has his own idea about his areas of progression, in a different kind of basketball than that played in the NBA. “Offensively, I have to learn to read and react to situations faster. Maybe I can play more on pick-and-roll,” he begins. “Defensively, I have to progress away from the ball, not leave cuts behind me. And put pressure on the dribbler, stay in front of him.”
| Armoni Brooks | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2020-21 | WHOA | 20 | 26 | 40.6 | 38.2 | 58.3 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 11.2 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 54 | 16 | 33.9 | 29.7 | 85.7 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 5.3 |
| 2021-22 * | WHOA | 41 | 17 | 34.7 | 30.0 | 84.2 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 6.2 |
| 2021-22 * | TOR | 13 | 12 | 28.9 | 27.8 | 100.0 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.6 |
| 2023-24 | BRK | 10 | 10 | 32.6 | 34.4 | 50.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 4.2 |
| Total | 84 | 18 | 36.2 | 33.1 | 74.3 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 6.6 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
