Canadian national team head coach Jordi Fernandez was impressed by the professionalism Dillon Brooks showed during the World Cup, writes Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire. Before signing with Houston this summer, Brooks wore out his welcome in Memphis with his abrasive tactics and questionable shot selection, but Fernandez told Toni Canyameras from Mundo Deportivo that he didn’t see any of that with Team Canada.
“(He’s) excellent,” Fernandez said. “He is nothing more than a normal person who comes in and is very professional. He takes good care of himself (and does) all the work to be 100% ready to play. His work in the gym, the things he does on his own — he is a superb professional.
“Inside the locker room, he connects with his teammates, everyone respects him. He is like the rest of the group, he is nothing out of this world. He is one of the best competitors I have ever seen, and on the entire court, not only defensively, where he has superpowers, but he’s shown offensively that he can not only score but also be efficient with the quality of the shots.”
The Rockets are counting on having that version of Brooks after giving him $86MM over four years. They’re hoping he can help establish an identity on defense, where Houston has been among the league’s worst teams during its three years of rebuilding.
There’s more from Houston:
- There are incentives in the new contracts for Brooks and fellow free agent addition Jeff Green, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN. Brooks will receive $1MM if the Rockets reach the first round of the playoffs, while Green can earn $1.6MM by playing in at least 55 games and averaging 19 minutes per night. Green’s bonuses are considered likely, Marks adds, based on what he did in Denver last season.
- Pacers center Myles Turner singled out Jalen Green during a recent appearance on Tidal League’s “Run Your Race” podcast, according to a tweet from ClutchFans. Addressing the trend of young players getting overhyped on social media because of their “cutesy handles,” Turner said Green is different. “The one kid who I will say who had a lot of that hype, and I’m actually really impressed with how he’s handling it, is Jalen Green,” Turner stated. “Jalen Green came (into the league) with a LOT of that hype, bro, even before he got to the Ignite with that social media stuff. Watching him develop into the player he is right now … I have to give him a shout out. It’s actually really impressive.”
- Attorneys for Kevin Porter Jr. are asking the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to drop second-degree assault charges after determining that he didn’t break his girlfriend’s neck during last week’s attack, per Priscilla DeGregory of The New York Post. Documents showed that Kysre Gondrezick‘s fractured vertebra was the result of a congenital defect, according to his defense team. Porter still faces a second-degree strangulation charge, which carries a maximum of seven years in prison, along with a third-degree assault charge.
The pressure to win in the NBA too much for Brooks? There is no gold medal or NBA championship goals for Canada…
If he was what was said by Fernandez Brooks would be a max player on a team some where…
I bet you only heard of Brooks within the last 6 months.
86 million isn’t the max but it’s something. And there’s a reason Brooks one of the best 15 players in his country. How much of his situation in Memphis had to do with the fact that their team leader was dealing with suspension and he tried stepping up. Clearly he’s not that player but he’ll do great on a rebuilding team like Houston.
As long as he is happy to have the young stars take their rightful share of the spotlight…
It’s not going to work if he thinks he is the first, second or third option unless he is playing with the bench…
Yeah I don’t think a rebuilding team is the right spot for him at all. He needs to be with an established veteran group that has already figured out the hierarchy.
The reason he is one of the 15 best players from his country is because we are talking about Canada.
Glad I wasn’t the only one got a laugh from that statement
Did the Canucks not just beat our beloved Americans in the bronze medal game? Y’all need to come grips with the fact that the world has taken over basketball. 4 of the 5 best players in the world are not American. 5 straight MVPs. It’s over for US
The only time “young” players listen to “veterans” is when they are struggling, or are in danger of losing their roster spot.
Ask Fred VanVleet how it went last year when Fred, the veteran, tried to give some knowledge to Scottie Barnes, the 2nd year player. It didn’t go well …. You saw the type of season Toronto had despite having Fred, Scottie, OG, Pascal and Jakob Poeltl on the roster.