On a night where things went from bad to worse for Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies guard found himself on the receiving end of a scathingly honest assessment from ESPN analyst Doris Burke during Saturday’s 111–101 Game 3 loss to the Lakers.
With Memphis trailing 10–2 early in the first quarter, Brooks was preparing to inbound the ball when Burke and fellow analyst Mark Jones got into a conversation about the 27-year-old’s game. However, what began as a run-of-the-mill analysis of Brooks’s strengths and weaknesses turned into something a little different for the viewers after Burke decided to focus her attention solely on the latter.
“He does not bring elite athleticism to the game. He, obviously, does not bring elite shooting, he’s on the floor to do one thing: guard the toughest guy every single night. It’s a thankless job, it’s hard job and he embraces it,” Burke said.
While Burke likely didn’t intend to rip Brooks, her soundbite ended up going viral as NBA fans found it hilarious that the broadcasting legend was so upfront with her comments. For what it’s worth, Burke did soften the blow to a degree before the blunt assessment with a compliment about the six-year veteran’s tenacity.
“There are times I think he crosses the line, but I respect highly what he does nightly,” she said.
Outside of Burke’s commentary, Brooks managed to take L’s from all sides on Saturday night in Los Angeles. After being booed by Lakers fans during warmups, Brooks went on to shoot 3-of-13 from the field, including 1-of-5 from the three-point line, and was eventually ejected after hitting LeBron James in the groin while taking a swipe at the ball as he dribbled up the floor.
Fortunately for Brooks, the NBA’s most polarizing heel won’t have to wait long to try to prove Burke and any of his other critics wrong after avoiding a suspension for hitting King James. The scrappy guard will hope to rebound from his all-around embarrassing night on Monday when the Grizzlies look to even the series against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
