In a study of Twitter (or X) posts from October 2022 to November 2023, Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. received the most fan criticism among current members of the Houston Rockets.
“We analyzed 366,944 tweets directed at 492 active players who have X [Twitter] accounts and 43,685 tweets directed at the 30 NBA franchises from October 2022 to November 2023,” Fadeaway World says in a post explaining its unique methodology.
“We processed the language in the tweets using a machine-learning sentiment analysis tool that assigned an anger quotient to each tweet. Players and franchises with especially high average anger quotients across all tweets directed at them ranked the highest.”
So, what stood out about the Rockets over that time? The Rockets ranked No. 12 among the NBA’s 30 teams with the most hate posts, and Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. ranked No. 7 and No. 12, respectively, among the most-trash-talked NBA players.
“Much of the [Brooks] commentary surrounds his aggressive play and trash-talking, which has earned him a number of enemies in the NBA,” Fadeaway World wrote in a press release attached to its study. “His public remarks about LeBron James being old, among other comments, have drawn intense criticism for being disrespectful.”
That Brooks-James beef occurred largely during the 2023 Western Conference playoffs, when Brooks played for Memphis.
The complete report can be accessed here. As for Smith, it’s worth noting that most of the time period covered in the Fadeaway World study occurred during a relatively underwhelming rookie season. Since then, as a sophomore, he’s improved in a significant way.
