The Houston Rockets invested most of their salary cap space in their backcourt as they handed lucrative deals to Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.
The Brooks deal in particular was the most shocking one as the Rockets handed him a four-year deal worth up to $90 million.
Brooks had a rough close to the 2023 NBA Playoffs as he was flat-out bad against the Los Angeles Lakers who beat the Memphis Grizzlies in six games.
However, Brooks has been able to shift the narrative a bit with his performance for Canada during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The wing player has been a key cog for the Canadian national team and he saved his best for last as he poured in a game-high 39 points to lead his country to a bronze medal over Team USA.
Team USA was shorthanded as they were missing Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brooks lamented not being able to play his former Grizzlies teammate via Esfandiar Baraheni of sdpnsports.
“I love playing against Jaren,” Brooks said. :It’s just the Memphis connection. I’ve been talking about this since the season. First it was Santi with Spain. It’s good to play against guys you worked with for 2 years.”
“I love playing against Jaren. It’s just the Memphis connection. I’ve been talking about this since the season. First it was Santi with Spain. It’s good to play against guys you worked with for 2 years”
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) September 10, 2023
Jackson was a large reason why Memphis was able to have such a successful 2022-23 NBA season because of his defense and he was missed against Brooks and Canada.
For now, Brooks gets to enjoy celebrating with his Canadian teammates for their hard-earned bronze medal while the Rockets are hoping that he can keep this level of shooting up during the upcoming season.
NEXT:
Dillon Brooks Receives Major Defensive Award At World Cup
