Chicago Bulls: Aaron Brooks Emerging as Key Contributor

Tom Thibodeau has had a long history of resurrecting and prolonging the careers of small, scoring point guards. John Lucas III, Nate Robinson, and DJ Augustin parlayed their accomplishments under Thibodeau into other, more lucrative contracts. Even CJ Watson played his best basketball for the Bulls. So it should come as no surprise that Aaron Brooks is enjoying that same type of success already for Chicago, and playing his way into a rotation that includes Derrick Rose and Thibodeau-favorite Kirk Hinrich.

When the former Oregon Duck signed a one-year deal with Chicago the acquisition was regarded as a safety net move, if noticed at all. The Bulls had their superstar returning to the fold and the steady presence of Hinrich to back him up. Barring injury it seemed unlikely that Brooks would see much action. But his play thus far, coupled with Tony Snell’s apparent residence in Thibodeau’s doghouse, has helped Brooks emerge as a contributor for a team with championship aspirations.

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There’s a lot to like about the diminutive point guard. From an early age Brooks has had a knack for scoring the ball. As a kid growing up in Washington state I followed high school basketball religiously. One game that still stands out is Brooks’ Herculean performance against an Adam Morrison-led Mead team in the 2003 4A championship. Brooks outdueled the eventual #3 pick, scoring 38 points in an epic shootout and leading Franklin to the title. And his scoring prowess followed him to Eugene. As a senior for the Ducks, Brooks helped lead his team to the PAC-10 tournament championship and the Elite 8 while scoring 17.7 points per contest.

Bigger, stronger competition at the pro-level hasn’t stopped Brooks from making an impact either. The journeyman has averaged double digits for his seven-year career, including a high of 19.6 for the Houston Rockets his third year in the league. What’s different is that for Chicago he’s been very efficient, hitting 58% of his field goals and 60% of his three-point attempts in 22 minutes a night. He’s been getting great looks out of the high pick-and-roll, either using his quickness to get to the rim or pulling up from three-point range. All but two of his 24 shot attempts have come from the paint or from distance.

His reputation as a scorer is spot-on, but Brooks has done a nice job as a distributor from the high pick-and-roll, too. Like Rose, Brooks draws a lot of attention when he probes into the lane. He has shown great patience, not forcing the issue and keeping his dribble alive to find open teammates under the rim or shooters spotting up. It’s this trait that sets him apart from his aforementioned predecessors.

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Best of all, he fits right in with the culture established in Chicago. Though small, Brooks is feisty and tough as nails. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Chicago’s second-to-last preseason game, Brooks launched himself into a mid-air collision with LeBron James to prevent a fast break alley-oop. Putting his slight frame on the line to thwart the efforts of a 260-lb behemoth in a meaningless game is surely something that caught Thibodeau’s attention.

Brooks has already taken advantage of a Derrick Rose ankle injury, scoring a season-high 16 points against Minnesota in his absence. But even if Rose and Hinrich are healthy, Brooks’ ability to put the ball in the hoop and competency running the offense will ensure his place in Thibodeau’s rotation, and make him a major contributor in the latest version of the “Bench Mob”. Just don’t get used to him, Bulls fans. Come next season he’ll likely be making more money elsewhere.

**Unless otherwise stated, all statistics obtained from www.basketball-reference.com

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