Dillon Brooks: OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect series

Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) drives around Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) during the second half in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

Oregon junior Dillon Brooks is climbing mock draft ranking ladders as a potential sleeper to keep an eye on in the 2017 NBA Draft class.

Dillon Brooks is another prospect who should be considered a sleeper pick in the 2017 draft class. Perhaps sleeper is inappropriate, rather his ranking doesn’t justify his qualifications. Brooks was part of the Oregon Ducks who sailed through to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament and were ‘this close’ to getting to the finals. Brooks was the primary scoring option.

Less than a month ago Brooks ranked close to the bottom of the second round on all prospect lists. And while I’m not sure why the Ringer still haven’t added Brooks to their list he’s still flying up the ladder ranking as high as 38.

With Sam Presti making the Thunder’s pick at 21 he won’t want to dive that far downward to grab the small forward. That said, depending on what OKC’s plans are for Andre Roberson, Brooks will definitely warrant a look as a possible buy in by Presti to snatch him up in the second round.

Specifics:

Height: 6’7″

Weight: 215lbs

Wingspan: 6’6″

Position: Small Forward

Age: 21 years, 4 months

Statline: 16 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 40.4 perimeter efficiency percent

College: Oregon (Junior)

Home Town: Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)

Current rankings:

Note, rankings are updated on day of writing, and are subject to change.

DraftExpress: 44th

NBA DraftNet: 48th

Scott Howard-Cooper nba.com: ranks 8th among Howard Cooper’s top ten small forward prospects

CBS Sports: 50th

Basketball Insiders: 38nd

Skills:

Brooks is one of those players who continually defy the odds. Tell Brooks he can’t do something and he’ll do it just to prove you wrong. While it’s well known Markelle Fultz finished the season leading the Pac 12 in scoring it was Brooks who was the bridesmaid.

His offense is versatile with abilities in the paint and from the field. But the big reason he finds himself so far down the ladder is uncertainty regarding how his game will translates to the NBA.

Because he was larger than his counterparts in College he held the advantage and his speed enabled him to get by slower frontcourt players. The main question centers on whether he can replicate the same success facing players faster, lengthier and stronger than him. Moreover, he’s not considered athletic nor does he possess encouraging physical attributes. His reach and vertical are considered below average for his position and size.

That said, this is also the same player who developed a 3-point shot and improved every season. his 48.8 field goal percent and 40.1 three point percent were career highs.

Sure, he’ll have a learning curve, but what Brooks lacks in physical prowess he makes up for in invincibility.

Weaknesses:

Certainly Brooks will face an adjustment period facing the pros. Wherever he lands and what position he plays will be the ultimate factor which determines how successful he is. But, scorers find a way to score and his constant growth tends to suggest he’ll adapt. Rather the key issue lies on the defensive end. As per Draft Express:

"Brooks almost always found ways to impact the game offensively for Oregon, but the same could not always be said for his defensive consistency. The Ducks played a fair amount of press and zone defense that somewhat covered up Brooks’ deficiencies on the defensive end, but there are definitely questions about his ability to defend NBA wings and power forwards. He is a competitive on ball defender when engaged who can use his strength to body up and contain on the perimeter, but he lacks elite length or lateral quickness, which limit his defensive potential. He is often a bit hunched playing off the ball, and can be a step late on defensive rotations. At his size and position it is tough to say who he can consistently defend at the NBA level as he doesn’t have the athleticism to contain NBA wings or the size to deal with power forwards. He will have to rely on his strength, toughness, and an improved motor and focus to impact the game as a defender. –"

Honors and awards:

Pac 12, Player of the Year, 2017
2017, Pac 12, All-Conference 1st Team – Source:
2016, Pac 12 All Tournament Team

Pro Comparison:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer provided a ceiling comparison for each of his prospects. Remarkably O’Connor didn’t include Brooks on his list of top 60.

The fit:

Ultimately, Brooks is not a player Sam Presti will concern himself with .Aside from perimeter scoring he doesn’t check off enough boxes from OKC’s desired short list. Still, it will be interesting to see how Brooks integrates at the NBA level. There are hordes of College stars who never recognized the same success in the NBA. But, there are also players who were told they wouldn’t cut it at he pro level- -one such player was Steph Curry. That’s not to say Brooks will win any MVP awards But like i said scorers will score. And, if nothing else Dillon Brooks has demonstrated one common theme throughout his college tenure – the more he’s told he can’t do something- the more he’ll go out his way to prove you wrong.

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