The villain of the opposite side! How did Dillon change the sun?

Technical fouls, trash talk, and conflict scenes, it is really appropriate to put these words on Dillon Brooks. This is also the most common problem encountered by coaches in previous sessions, and it is also the most frequently asked by reporters:

"Did you ask Dillon to be more restrained from the coach's perspective?"

David McClure coached Dillon for four seasons with the Grizzlies, and when he was asked this question, he mentioned in his early experience as a video analyst at the Spurs. At that time, he was invited to have dinner with the then coach Popovich, and the Spurs were a rigorous system team. Almost all the players on the team were law-abiding people, except Ginobili.

"He is more...confusing."

This is David McClure's memory at that time.

Then Popovich also gave an evaluation:

"I have to let Ginobili be himself, I have to give him more freedom than other players, because the bound Ginobili is really not special at all."

Keith Smart also coached Dillon in his rookie season. Dillon had not really made a name for himself at that time, but his aggressiveness and tough attitude in the game have been revealed. When asked whether he had ever advised Dillon to calm down, Smart's answer mentioned a piece of advice from Georgetown legendary coach John Thompson to him in the past:

"You can always calm down a madman, but you can never let a dead person come alive."

Borrow Smart's explanation:

"You can of course say to some players: Be calm. But if you have to keep saying to a player: Please, play hard and compete hard, then your game is basically over."

Now, facing Dillon, who is about to enter the ninth season of his career, he is one of the protagonists of the Suns Summer reconstruction plan. He will soon partner with Jaylen Green, who has outstanding athletic skills and others in the new season to become the Rockets' combat support. For the Suns' purpose, their roster has become taller, younger and more athletic before the trade, but they also want to be tougher, especially on the defensive end.

While referring to Dillon's past history, there should be few people who are more suitable for him at this stage.

Of course, this process will take time. There are many top scorers or talented defenders in the history of the Suns, but they have hardly ever had a really good character player. Even Dennis Ottery in the 1970s, Morris Lucas in the 1980s, and Danny Angie in the 1990s were all unconventional roles that disrupted the game, but overall, these people were not as good as Dillon.

In the past three seasons, Dillon, who is less than 30, has suffered a total of 49 technical fouls, ranking first in the league. Last season, Dillon was beaten for various actions such as roaring at the referee, standing up to protect his teammates, mocking his opponents, pushing and celebrating with frames, etc.

In March this year, he had a conflict with Durant in the game against the Suns and was expelled from the court. Facing the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, he had an argument with Butler again, and was accused by the media of deliberately targeting Curry's injured thumb during defense. All kinds of behaviors made him a public opinion figure at the forefront, and was once regarded as a drag on the team's progress.

At the Xia Lian Media Day in Las Vegas, Dillon described his style as "unpretentious" in an interview and said that he never feared anyone or any big scene. At the same time, he can't wait to see the Suns fans cheering for him when he eats his first skilled foul next season.

Borrowing his own words, this is called "if the jersey is changed, the image will change." In short, whether it is good or bad depends entirely on the audience's perspective.

"This is not a bad reputation. Many players have played for their entire lives but no one remembers them. But you know who Dillon Brooks is, because of his defensive resilience, you know when he is on the court, and that's his presence."

This is former NBA defender Van Exel's comment on Dillon, who played as an assistant role in six seasons with Dillon in his early years.

Previously, US media The Athletic interviewed seven coaches who had worked with Dillon. Surprisingly, even though Dillon only entered the Best Defensive Second Team once in 2023, from the perspective of honor, he was not actually viewed positively enough in the league, especially in terms of his defensive diversity, he should have achieved more results on the defensive end.

Blake Ahern stayed in the Grizzlies for four years, and the most common question asked by the outside world during this period was about Morant, followed by: What kind of person is Dillon Brooks?

Blake Ahern recalled his first year in office, that is, the 2020-21 season, when the Grizzlies were fighting fiercely with the Warriors in the play-offs, and the winner would have a chance to win the eighth place in the West and the loser would be eliminated. Blake Ahern was the assistant coach who lost to the scout report in the game. Faced with this situation, Blake Ahern was very clear. He knew that Curry might break out at any time and the Grizzlies needed Dillon to stay on the court.

"Are you ready?" Ahern asked Dillon on the bench.

"Brother, just give me another minute..." Dillon replied.

30 seconds later, Ahne couldn't help asking again: "You..." Before the question was finished, Dillon got up and walked towards the score station. He played for 45 minutes on the spot, and the Grizzlies finally won successfully in overtime.

Borrowing interviews from insiders of the team, Dillon was the same in training. Grizzlies usually start training at 11:30 in the morning and will arrange time for the players to treat them in advance.. Young players usually choose earlier to let the veteran enter the field later, but Dillon always enters the field at the first time in the morning so that he can do more training.

Of course, he also has times when his emotions break out. Former Grizzlies assistant coach Scuni Pan recalled that during a loose practice, Dillon gave his teammate a fierce foul, and the two sides directly broke into a dispute. Even the referee team was yelled at by him on the spot, and the whole exercise changed directly.

"He pulled up the overall training intensity. He was really angry, but he also brought everyone up. After all, a season is so long, there will inevitably be ups and downs. Sometimes the atmosphere on the court is sluggish, and you need someone to drive the scene, and Dillon is the most suitable person."

Adam Mazare was Dillon's partner in the first two seasons of entering the league. Borrowing his interview, Dillon's essence has never changed. From the beginning, this second-round pick has been as confident and positive as a rookie in the lottery. He trusts his style of playing and has also relied on this belief to get to the present.

"The Suns really found a treasure this time. Dillon's toughness and confidence are the kind of person you want to have in the team, there is no doubt."