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Is Dillon Brooks the leading factor behind why the Grizzlies are so good without Morant?

Is Dillion Brooks the leading factor behind why the Grizzlies are so good without Morant?

Whether we like to admit it or not, the Grizzlies are a very good basketball team. They have gotten the right front office, coach, coaching staff, and players to assemble a playoff-ready team. That is without question, this team is actually strengthening the argument of how far they have excelled in their rebuild of this franchise.

A large portion of that would be contributed to Ja Morant, since entering the league back in 2019, may has seen him as the start of a Memphis dynasty. Many fans, national media, and just people in general that are concluding that it is Ja Morant leading the charge.

However, there is more to the story than meets the eye. How so? Well, take the Mavericks. Dallas has Luka Doncic, undoubtedly the best Euro player this league has seen in a while, but no one else. When comparing the rosters of Memphis and Dallas, we can see that Memphis has the better pieces.

Who do the Mavericks have that can help Doncic when he is on and off the court? Not anyone that builds up to the likes of Dillon Brooks. So the message behind what I am saying? The Mavericks have fallen short because they have a star but no supporting cast, while the Grizzlies have secured that greatly.

Even in duos we have seen Memphis do better. Brooks, Morant is the duo to have. Not Doncic, Hardaway. Sadly not, not saying it isn’t good. However, it is not the likes of the star-power between Brooks and Morant.

So, that brings us to the main point of this article. Dillon Brooks is the leading factor of why the Grizzlies are succeeding without Morant. Ja Morant’s absence has shedded light on the fact of how valuable Dillon Brooks truly is.

Let’s start to break it down right here, right now. Check it out!

Dillion Brooks’ stats: basic and advanced stats

The Grizzlies are 19-2 without Ja Morant. In the past ten games, Brooks has averaged 15.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. In total games without Morant, Brooks has averaged 17.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. The total games would be 32 games.

Also, when playing the most games without Morant, Dillon Brooks is leading the way as the number scorer on that team. He is just a very efficient scorer when he is able to see his shots drop, plus, when he is doing well, the entire team does well.

Just a few more stats to nail down the fact that Brooks is the number one player on this team without Morant. His shooting percentage is around 41% and close enough to 42%; again, as I said before, very efficient shooter that does not give up any free chances to score.

The Case For Brooks:

With the stats there, let’s talk about the things that aren’t accounted for always. His hustle, energy, and the way he scores is like no one else on that team. He finds a way to get into the lane, to create that open shot, and to take the pressure off of his teammates.

Each year he has been in this league, the more and more he has been getting better and looking more comfortable. Shooting has improved tremendously as he can hit a shot in the paint, perimeter, the charity stripe, from anywhere of that range. That is the beauty of what he can do.

Besides Morant, there is not another player on that team that is able to do what Brooks does. Don’t get me wrong as Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams, De’Anthony Melton, and all those other fantastic players are good. However, when you are looking for that one player to fill the gap and the loose ends when Morant isn’t there, it would be Brooks. Brooks has been on the low of things, and the high of things.

Memphis used to be a team that nobody wanted to play for, Brooks stuck around and became impressively better. Despite the lack of talent on that team, Brooks pushed through and found his own niche that he could grow in comfortably. He knows this organization inside-and-out, not many on this roster can say that.

That is why the case for Brooks is pretty much his, Brooks is too dominant as a player to pass by. The talent he has is overwhelming and he hasn’t caved to the pressure to play without Ja Morant. Not many players can play without their star player. A duo may or may not last long if one half of them are done for, or at for an extensive period of time.

In the 32 games that Morant hasn’t been here, it has shown us a new side of Brooks. A more controlled, manipulative, calm, and ready-to-shoot side of Brooks. That is reassuring if you are the coach of Memphis or apart of that front office.

Conclusion:

That’s the undeniable case of Brooks, could I have gone further into him? Yes, but this right here is convincing enough to say he is the best player on that team when Morant is not playing. Without Morant, the Grizzlies have been able to survive due to the talent/skill of Brooks. He has held together that team and ascending them to a 19-2 record.

If you have watched film of him, games of the Grizzlies, then you know what I am talking about. Or even if you haven’t, you still know what I am talking about because of the stats and the words being spread about him.

He’s a good athletic player that is undoubtedly the glue to this Memphis team, even when it gets tough.

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