Dillon Brooks drives to the basket during his first game back from injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Memphis’ feel-good season has been missing a main character for more than two months.
That ended Sunday, when Dillon Brooks started and played for the Grizzlies for the first time since Jan. 8. The defensive-minded guard had missed 27 consecutive games with a left ankle sprain and played in just 21 of the team’s 68 games on the season.
Brooks, a former second-round book who has become a Memphis fan favorite being traded there in 2017, is averaging career-high averages in points (18.4), rebounds (3.3), assists (2.7), steals (1.3) and field goal percentage (42.6) this season.
Just as they did during Ja Morant’s 12-game absence earlier this season, the Grizzlies have hardly skipped a beat without Brooks in the lineup. Memphis entered Saturday night tied with Golden State for the second-best record in the league. The team is hoping to build upon last year’s first-round playoff loss to the Utah Jazz, the Grizzlies’ first postseason appearance since 2017.