Dillon Brooks is building his reputation as a villain in the NBA. Often tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player, the 27-year-old small forward often trash talks them.
Kevin Durant says that he respects what Brooks brings to the game. The two-time NBA champions thinks that being the bad guy is part of making sure he keeps his focus and motivation, knowing that the superstar that he is guarding could drop 40 points
“I’ve seen so many players like that, that play with that high energy, physical, talk a little trash here and there,” Durant said on Boardroom. “But really just playing physical trying to prove theirselves on this stage.
“There’s a lot of players that come through the league and you want to stand out and become a name in our game and I think Dillon Brooks has really took advantage of the opportunities he has playing with a young team, having so much responsibility as a young player, being able to guard some of the best players.
“so you gotta have some type of, I don’t want to call it crazy for a lack of a better term, but you gotta muster up something for you to do that every single night to be asked to guard the best players every single night and also be an integral part of the offense. Yeah, sometimes he takes it too far, but it’s just a part of the role he has to play for his team.
“We’ve seen so many players in the history of the game that we all love for doing the same stuff. It’s just, it is who he is and he’s standing on that and I can respect it.”
Durant has played against Brooks himself and was on receiving end of the Grizzlies forward’s trash talk. KD says he respects that.
“Sometimes he talks a little sh*t to me and I’m like, ‘Yo, just shill tonight.’ But I can respect that he’s bringing that energy to the game every time he plays.”
