When it comes to Dillon Brooks, you take the whole thing. That’s the mental contract you sign when you watch him play. He’s intense, wired hot, always carrying a chip on his shoulder. That edge has fueled his career. It keeps him competitive, keeps him locked in, and makes life miserable for whoever he’s guarding.
About 85% of the time, you love what Dillon brings.
His edge has become part of the Suns’ identity this season. A team sitting at 14-12 and holding down the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Not even two months into the season, and they’ve already knocked down nearly half of the 30.5 wins Vegas projected. That’s not an accident. Dillon Brooks helped change the culture. He reinforced what Brian Gregory set out to build over the summer.
Add in the fact that he’s averaging 21.6 points per game, which is 3.2 more than any season of his career, and that 85% looks pretty damn good.
Then there’s the other 15%.
The fouls that don’t need to happen. The over-aggression that leads to silly stoppages. The heat check threes from a guy shooting 32.2% from deep. That’s Dillon being Dillon, and most nights you live with it.
Last night pushed things further than that. Frustrating is the right word. Not inexcusable, but irresponsible fits too.
Still, he helped light the fuse that pulled the Suns back into the game. That’s the Dillon Brooks you appreciate. He went 4-of-5 from the field in the fourth quarter, 3-of-4 from three, 11 points when the game needed teeth. That lives firmly in the 85%.
Part of the reason the Suns were staring at a 20-point hole in the fourth quarter was simple, however. Dillon Brooks wasn’t on the floor. He had played himself into foul trouble. He was so locked in on baiting LeBron James that he picked up an offensive foul trying to back LeBron down with 10 minutes left in the third. When Brooks checked out with his fifth foul, the Suns were up 67-66. When he checked back in with 9:56 left in the game, they were down 91-77. During that stretch without Brooks on the floor, the Lakers rattled off 24 straight points. The Suns didn’t score for eight full minutes of game time.
That’s the 15% you hate. Not because of effort. Because he can remove himself from the game by letting the intensity tip into recklessness.
But the truly irresponsible part came later. After the Suns clawed all the way back. After Brooks drilled a massive three with 12 seconds left to put Phoenix up 114-113. That should have been the moment. Instead, he couldn’t help himself. He thought he was fouled, so he went straight at LeBron, chest to chest, even though he already had a technical. One he earned a minute and 24 seconds into the game for jawing with the same guy.
He hits the biggest shot of the night, a shot that could swing the game, and immediately puts it at risk. That’s the 15%.
For everything Dillon Brooks brings to this team, and there is a lot, he has to be better in those moments. Control the emotion. Run to your teammates. Celebrate the shot. You just capped a huge comeback. So what if LeBron bumped you? Go huddle up. Go lock back in. Go figure out how to keep these guys from scoring again.
This is the part that drives people insane. But it also has to be a growth moment. You can be LeBron’s nemesis if you want. You just can’t put that above the team. On a night where Brooks was arguably the best player the Suns had, we didn’t get enough of him. Not because of talent. Because he couldn’t get out of his own head. That has to change.
This is where the line has to be drawn. The Suns need the edge, they need the snarl, they need the version of Dillon Brooks that drags games into the mud and makes stars uncomfortable. But they also need him on the floor. Availability matters. Awareness matters. Moments like that are where good players separate themselves from players who actually help you win.
You already hit the shot. You already swung the game. Now finish the job. The 85% only works if the 15% stops hijacking the biggest possessions of the night. If Brooks wants to be a tone setter for a team with real ambitions, this is the step. Same fire. Better control. Team first.
