Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.
Dillon Brooks
Guard-Forward, 6’7”, 225lb, 30 years old, 9-year veteran
The Phoenix Suns struck gold last season when they acquired Dillon Brooks in the Kevin Durant trade. He was and still is the tone setter and culture driver for the entire organization. Not only was he the culture driver,
but he was unquestionably the Suns’ second-best player and had a career year.
Brooks earned a contract extension this offseason because of his value on and off the floor, and many people took notice of what he did last year. He was recognized as the 76th best player in the NBA according to ESPN’s Top 100 Player Rankings ahead of this upcoming season.
But that was last season, and while Brooks played his best basketball then, his game still has flaws. He is a shoot-first, shoot-second, and probably shoot-third player, with a very low assist rate. With the addition of Miles Bridges this offseason, and Jalen Green’s strong scoring finish last season, the roles behind Devin Booker are up for grabs. How well will Brooks mesh with the other starters, and can he keep pace with the close-to-All-Star version of himself he was last season?
Last Season
In the 2025-26 season, Brooks took a major step forward in production and usage from his time in Houston. His 20.2 points on 17.1 field goal attempts per game were both career highs. His best season before was in the 2021-22 season with the Memphis Grizzlies when he averaged 18.4 points on 16.4 field goal attempts, but that was in just 32 games played. Last season, Brooks shot 34.4% from three but a career-high 49.2% from inside the arc.
While Brooks was not the most efficient scorer last season, part of it was that he was asked to do more than ever before in his career. He was relied on to be an isolation scorer and was often the one taking the desperation shots at the end of the shot clock. One area the Suns used Brooks was posting up; according to NBA tracking data, Brooks shot 53.2% in post-up situations. Despite his high-usage season, Brooks averaged only 1.8 assists, and his tunnel vision contributed to the Suns’ second-half drop-off at the end of the regular season.
The other reason for the Suns’ struggles in the second half of the season was simply the absence of Brooks from the lineup. He missed 26 games last season, with the majority of those games missed coming after the All-Star break with a broken hand. It was his first time playing below 70 games since his 2021-22 campaign with the Grizzlies.
As valuable as Brooks scoring contributions were to the Suns last season, his most important contribution to the team was changing the culture. Jordan Ott, Jordan Goodwin, Devin Booker, and others deserve credit for that as well, but it was Brooks’ competitive fire and unabashed confidence that caused his teammates and Suns fans to quickly fall in love with him.
The ‘Villain” certainly left his mark in just one season with the Suns so far. His beefs with LeBron James and other star players create an extra layer of intrigue for many matchups. And while we might want to see Brooks avoid getting suspended this year for getting too many technical fouls, it is a trade-off worth making to get all the positive intangibles Brooks provides to the locker room and the organization.
Contract and Roster Context
Over the offseason, Brooks signed a three-year extension worth $73 million, a little over $24 million a year annually. He will be a Phoenix Sun until the summer of 2030 unless something goes horribly wrong, or the Suns go big game hunting. The good news for Phoenix is that they got Brooks, who is still in his prime at a bargain for someone who averaged 20.2 points on a team that made the playoffs. Even in the final years of his contract, he should still be a valuable player on a team-friendly contract.
Even though Brooks is on the wrong side of 30, his game should age gracefully because he is not reliant on his speed and quickness, and more on his strength and power.
What He Brings
Dillon Brooks brings a lot to the table, but what makes him special is his physicality. His scoring, defense, and leadership are all positive attributes; it is his physicality that makes him a high-level player. Brooks is a savvy veteran who can play physical defense on other teams’ best players without getting into foul trouble consistently. Offensively, he is a bulldozer, and when he gets his shoulders into an opposing player, he can create separation for his jump shot, draw fouls, or get to the rim.
His toughness and grit defensively led the Suns to being one of the top defenses in the league last year after it was one of the worst the previous season. It is no coincidence that Brooks has been a part of top-10 defenses no matter where he’s played: Memphis, Houston, and Phoenix have had top-10 defenses in the NBA, with Brooks being a main reason why. One of the main concerns coming into this season is that the Suns lost two of their most prolific shooters in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, but the defense should be even better, and Brooks will still be the head of the snake for an even better defense this season.
Offensively, Brooks provides a scoring punch, especially in isolation. Brooks carried the Suns offensively last season when they needed him, especially in games where Devin Booker did not play. He is not a consistent enough scorer to be on the very best players in the NBA, but as we saw last season, there are some nights that Brooks has an unbelievable heater and cannot miss no matter how insane a heat check he takes. As mentioned above, his efficiency in post-ups was where Brooks can excel and should be featured as a scorer, especially when Booker is off the floor.
What Needs to Improve
I could make an argument here that Brooks needs to do less complaining to the officials, but I believe it is his edge that makes him and this Suns team good. So if that means he flirts with suspensions for technical fouls this year, it is just part of the experience worth the benefits of all the other things his edge provides.
What Brooks has to get better at this season is being deferential. Is Brooks going to go out and average 4-to-5 assists this season? Definitely not. But Brooks can dial back the aggressiveness on offense to help the flow by getting off the ball more and making extra passes on offense. He has proven he is capable of that during his other NBA stops, and he will be asked to do that again this season. Dialing back that aggressiveness will also help with his shot selection as well. Brooks shot over 36% on catch-and-shoot threes last season, and the season prior he shot over 39% from three for the Houston Rockets.
If Brooks takes better shots, he is going to have an efficient season and will make the offense more functional than it looks on paper going into this season.
Prediction
My prediction for the Villain this year is that he continues to be an annoying pest to opposing teams and makes the Suns a competitive team every night. As for his role on the team, I think he will take a step back as the Suns’ second-leading scorer and drop below Jalen Green and/or Miles Bridges. However, his value will remain the same because of all his winning intangibles. He will have a more efficient season than last year and be the veteran leader this team needs, especially in nurturing the Suns’ young and talented wings.
It is going to take some time for the starting lineup to gel together, if it ever happens at all. Brooks is going to have to sacrifice more this year than anyone on the team not named Collin Gillespie. I believe Brooks is smart enough to understand his place on the roster, especially now that he signed a long-term extension with the Suns. He will do whatever it takes to win, even if that means his stats take a hit.
Stat Prediction: 68 Games, 16.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 45/38/84 shooting
Final Word
What would constitute a successful season for this player? Where could they realistically be by April compared to where they are today? Keep this section concise. It should provide a conclusion rather than restating the entire preview.
For Brooks to have a successful season, it will be how he fits next to Jalen Green and Miles Bridges more than anything else. If those three players can figure out how to be a functional offensive group around Devin Booker, it raises the low ceiling that this team has. If Brooks hits the same numbers as he had last season, it might not be as impactful because it likely means Green or Bridges are not impacting games at a high level. If his counting stats decline but he is taking better shots and moving the ball quicker, it could be the best season of his career.
If Brooks can acclimate to this new group and help this Suns team get to the next level and win a playoff series or two, then he will be on the trajectory to be an All-time fan favorite in Phoenix because of his antics and bringing a winning culture back to a team that lacked it before he became a Valley native.
