Aaron Brooks is listed at 6-0, but we know hes a bit shorter than that. However, despite his lack of height, his ability to get buckets, create separation and finesse his backcourt position has always been colossal in stature ever since he was a four-year starter for Oregon from 2003-07 and then chosen with the 36th pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Not that Brooks height has stopped him from playing nearly a decade in the NBA, but his skills and his ability to fill it up against the best guards in the game has been overlooked at times. He even averaged 19.6 points per game in his last season in Houston.
Brooks was always a player that teams could use, but he was rarely valued despite some memorable postseason performances, as he bounced from Houston to Phoenix to the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China, then to Sacramento, back to Houston and on to Denver. From there he went to the Bulls, and now he is a much-needed offensive weapon for an Indiana Pacers squad that is performing below expectations at 15-17 and lost to Chicago on Monday night, 90-85.
While Jeff Teague struggled to find his “A” game, Brooks came off the bench to play major minutes and contributed 19 points, four rebounds and seven assists. The sixth player in NBA history to make over 200 treys and dish 400 dimes in a single season was knocking down shots, slashing and giving fits to opposing defenders
Remember when Nate Robinson was giving dudes 40 on any given night? Brooks has had his share of bucket-stuffing performances as well. Neither player has ever gotten their proper shine. Kyle Lowery and Isaiah Thomas are getting there. Robinson had to win two sideshow NBA Slam Dunk contests to get props as a player.
But to be able to do what they do in a land of giants is remarkable, especially when it seems like teams are always looking to replace them with a physical upgrade of some sort. Brooks is fortunate, his ability to drop buckets in an NBA void of high-octane defensive intensity keeps him employed, if not totally respected.
For everything Robinson has accomplished in this league, at the age of just 32, he cant get a gig. Dude played for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel this season and still did his thing. He was on TV with Barkley, KG, Ernie and the crew almost begging for another shot and he shouldn’t have to do that.
It just seems like the short dudes always get the short end of the stick in the NBA. The seven-footers even play like them now, so they have lost that advantage. Its good to see the diminutive Brooks still getting his and giving hope to the guys who stand well south of the average NBA height for guards.
