In a wide-ranging interview with Kelly Iko of The Athletic, newly signed forward Dillon Brooks spoke several times about the defensive culture that he wants to bring to the Houston Rockets.
But Brooks went out of his way, completely unprompted, to single out one specific member of Houston’s young core that he’s excited to work with in the 2023-24 season and beyond.
Here’s how the exchange went:
Iko: This is a Rockets team with a ton of young talent but really struggled defensively over these last two, three seasons. Now, you’ve entered the picture fresh off a season where you earned All-Defense honors. What do you bring to the table?
Brooks: Just a lot of grit. A lot of heart, a lot of knowledge, good defensive game as well. And I’m here to teach, you know what I’m saying? I can’t wait to work with Tari [Eason]. I feel like he can be a great player in this NBA — especially a great defender — and grow his game, his athleticism and everything. But I can’t wait to work with him. And yeah, pretty much. And just, you know, that just that veteran savvy.
Dillon Brooks, unplugged on @TheAthletic
▪️Why he’s ecstatic about Tari Eason
▪️Aligning with Ime Udoka + early conversations with the young core
▪️Bringing “contagious defensive energy”
▪️The VanVleet effect, scheming with Sengun + much more. https://t.co/N4CKgNj2yU
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) July 9, 2023
Eason averaged 9.3 points (44.8% FG, 34.3% on 3-pointers), 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 21.5 minutes as a rookie last season. He earned All-Rookie Second Team honors and graded out by many advanced models as among the league’s most impactful rookies.
Now 22 years old, the 6-foot-8 forward who was drafted at No. 17 overall in the 2022 first round wants to make a significant leap in his sophomore campaign. Fortunately for Eason and the Rockets, he’ll now have one of the league’s top defenders available for guidance.
