It’s been awhile since one of the main characters in the NBA Playoff discourse was a role player, but Dillon Brooks talked (and then refused to talk) his way into that spotlight in the first round against LeBron James and the Lakers.
After poking the bear and getting bounced in the first round, Brooks is now apparently not coming back to Memphis, as the Grizzlies reportedly informed him in exit interviews they wouldn’t be looking to re-sign him. Given Brooks’ skillset, apparent desire to play a much bigger role than that skillset calls for, and propensity for causing headaches with his talk, there are real questions about who would even really want to sign him.
One of the closest comparisons for Brooks is another former LeBron antagonizer, Lance Stephenson, who was a member of the Indiana Pacers teams that regularly ran up against James’ Heat in the playoffs. Paul George was one of the stars of that team, and on the latest episode of Podcast P, he compared Brooks’ antics to Lance’s infamous ear blow. George noted that, for one, a role player beefing with a star is already a losing battle, simply because James is going to have so many more opportunities to make big plays than you are. George also recalled how frustrating it can be for your star teammates, recalling that when Stephenson blew in James’ ear, it was actually PG’s job to be LeBron’s primary defender in that series.
Wanting smoke with LeBron usually doesn’t end well
@Yg_Trece on how Dillon Brooks’ antics compared to Lance Stephenson’s pic.twitter.com/BykONALvJ4
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) May 3, 2023
This is among the best parts of active players having podcasts and these platforms where they’re talking about things going on around the league, because this is real insight into how players feel about these things. I will push back a bit on the part about Brooks not having enough shots to go toe-to-toe with LeBron, because one of the chief problems Memphis had with Brooks is that he was taking too many shots, trying to be that guy. Still, the point stands that role players beefing with stars rarely ends well and can only create more headaches for everyone else in the locker room.