Breaking Down What Aaron Brooks Will Bring to Houston Rockets
Aaron Brooks was waived by the Sacramento Kings on last Friday, and from the moment that he was released, it was more or less assumed that he would be rejoining the Houston Rockets. That has now been made final, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Yahoo! Sports.
"Houston has reached agreement on a deal with Aaron Brooks, source tells Y! Sports.
—Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 5, 2013"
"Brooks' deal with Rockets includes a team option for next season, sources tell Y!
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"—Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 5, 2013"
After playing in just 46 of a possible 61 games with the Kings, averaging just 21 minutes (yet eight points) a game, Brooks was finally given the opportunity to go out and help another club with his solid shooting.
Despite being their second-most efficient guard as a shooter (45.9 percent from the field), Brooks was buried behind Sacramento's 497 other guards, with Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, Jimmer Fredette and Francisco Garcia all hanging around competing for minutes.
With Sacramento's acquisition of the cheaper Toney Douglas, keeping Brooks became pointless.
The Houston team that Brooks returns to is nothing compared to the Rockets team Brooks played for before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2011. There is not a single player on the Houston roster that has carried over from then.
In bringing back Brooks, Daryl Morey brought back a player who can score in streaks, shoot three-pointers relatively well, get out and run the ball, and—as he's demonstrated more recently—take wise shots.
Basically, Brooks is coming in so the Rockets don't have to rely on playing Patrick Beverley too much. Beverley has been very good at times for Houston this year, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a rookie who was drafted nearly four years ago after failing to catch on in the league.
Whereas Beverley has been a breath of fresh air in terms of his ability to hit a shot, Houston will feel a lot more comfortable relying on a veteran like Brooks.
Brooks will eventually take on the same role that Douglas had with this team, but hopefully doing a much more efficient job of scoring the ball.
Douglas was the first point guard off the Rockets bench, generally running the point with Carlos Delfino and the rest of the bench unit alongside him.
What Brooks is expected to do is keep the pace up, continue to push the ball with ferocity and make smart passes, which Douglas had trouble doing at times.
As a heady point guard, an energy player and a person who's not afraid to make the extra pass, Brooks should fit in nicely off the bench for the Rockets. He should definitely be a positive influence down the stretch as Kevin McHale's squad continues in their chase for a playoff bid.
