Dillon Brooks Eyes Houston Rockets' Matchup With Former Team: 'They Have No Swagger'
Dillon Brooks takes pride in being one of the NBA’s biggest instigators. The free agent had ties cut dramatically with the Memphis Grizzlies after his comments “poked the bear,” helping inspire LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to eliminate Memphis in the first round last year.
Well, the Grizzlies’ trash became the Houston Rockets’ treasure. Since signing a four-year deal with the Rockets this summer, Brooks has been having his most efficient offensive season and continues to be a terror on the defensive end.
Brooks' intense play has propelled Houston to a .500 record.
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The Grizzlies, 3-10, are coming to the Toyota Center Wednesday night to match up with Brooks for the first time. Before the game, Brooks had some unfiltered opinions about his old team.
“You can see now they have no swagger,” Brooks said per the Houston Chronicle. "We have swagger. We have an identity we’re building. Every game, we show it more and more...“It’s like the girlfriend that you used to have. You don’t know how good she is until she’s gone."
There’s no doubt that Memphis missed Brooks’ intensity and basketball skills. Without Ja Morant, Memphis is relying on Desmond Bane to lead the offense, and it has had poor results. Bane is coming into the game averaging a career-best 25.8 points on 45.5 percent shooting from the field.
Believe it, Brooks is not the one pining for a relationship lost. The Rockets are playing with a fire not seen in Houston since 2020, and they are in the thick of a playoff hunt. His old team? Near the bottom of the West, where Houston used to reside.
