Dillon Brooks

After a promising rookie campaign, Brooks was hit hard by the injury bug this past season. He appeared in the first 11 contests of 2018-19 before suffering a sprained knee that kept him sidelined for over a month, and it took him only seven more games to sustain a season-ending toe injury. Moreover, Brooks earned just 18.3 minutes per matchup through those 18 appearances compared to 28.7 per tilt across 82 games in 2017-18. It remains to be seen if Brooks will win back a spot in the starting five, as he went from starting on an almost full-time basis, with 74 starts as a rookie, to coming off the bench in every bout as a sophomore. Whether or not Andre Iguodala is still on the roster by the time opening night rolls around or not, Kyle Anderson is fairly likely to hold onto his starting gig while Bruno Caboclo and newcomers Jae Crowder, Josh Jackson, De'Anthony Melton and Grayson Allen are also likely to compete with Brooks for minutes along the wing.

Brooks proved to be one of the most valuable second-round picks of the 2017 draft, appearing in all 82 games and averaging a solid 11.0 points on 44.0 percent shooting. The Oregon product also hauled in 3.1 rebounds and dished out 1.6 assists per contest, and he put a fitting cap on his rookie campaign with a 36-point outburst versus the Thunder in the season finale. Brooks also had 22- and 28-point tallies within his last six contests, providing a glimpse at his scoring upside. The offseason acquisition of Kyle Anderson as a restricted free agent from the Spurs presumably slides him into the starting small forward role that Brooks often occupied last season, but the latter now profiles as the Grizzlies’ top shooting guard. Brooks’ offensive proficiency should serve him particularly well at the two-guard spot alongside a presumably healthy Mike Conley, who should draw his fair share of defensive attention. Brooks therefore profiles as a potential valuable source of scoring across all formats, although his production across other categories could stand to see a boost.