Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks has drawn significant praise for his performance in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. His native Canada will play in Friday’s semifinal matchup versus Serbia.
Now, as the international tournament winds down, Brooks will soon shift his focus to the NBA and the start of training camp for the 2023-24 season, which opens in early October.
By signing with Houston this offseason, Brooks is leaving behind a winning team in Memphis and joining a young and rebuilding group that has finished with the worst record in the Western Conference for three consecutive seasons. Yet, beyond the obvious financial incentive to make the move, it also presents Brooks with an opportunity to teach some of his well-regarded defensive principles.
In a new feature written from Manila in advance of Friday’s semifinal, Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports has more from Brooks:
He (head coach Ime Udoka) knows that I bring a different type of edge to the game. I have my ups and downs with it. But I can teach young guys. Houston was a great offensive team. They just needed more on the defensive end, stressing priority on the defensive end. …
Just having a positive mindset, knowing that it’s gonna be a transition. Getting better day by day, and finding ways to believe in the details and believe in the little things that get you to where you need to get to — whether it’s playoffs, whether it’s winning the in-season tournament — each game, getting better and better.
Fischer’s complete feature article can be read here.
As for now, the tip of Friday’s World Cup semifinal between Canada and Serbia is 3:45 a.m. Central, with the game televised on ESPN+.
[lawrence-related id=116404,116351,116343]
Dillon Brooks pesters opponents. That’s why Ime Udoka and the Rockets awarded him $86 million in July.
“He knows that I bring a different type of edge to the game,” Brooks told @YahooSports. “I have my ups and downs with it. But I can teach young guys.”https://t.co/GSrWWmZdRW
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) September 7, 2023