During his rookie season, the word that could have best described MarShon Brooks was “confident.”
So it comes as no surprise that after one of his better performances of this season, the Nets’ second-year shooting guard said the biggest difference in his game was starting to get some of that confidence back.
“I finally had a good game for myself, and started playing with some confidence,” Brooks said after scoring 15 points with three assists, two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot in Saturday night’s 113-93 win over the Kings at Barclays Center. “I think my problem was when my confidence took a swoop, I was looking to pass too much, and I started turning the ball over.
“So what I tried to do was get back to the basics … score, and then look to pass if the pass was there. I was looking to pass first, and was getting in trouble with it.”
Brooks quickly became a fan favorite as one of the few bright spots of the Nets’ final season in New Jersey a year ago, with his natural ability to score and his unique swagger on the court endearing himself to a fan base that needed something to get it through an injury-plagued season that saw the Nets finish 22-44. But Brooks also had the game to back it up, averaging 12.6 points per game and earning an All-Rookie second team selection after the season.
This summer, the Nets transformed their roster, pouring over $330 million in current and future salary commitments into the team in order to try to enter Brooklyn with a contender. That included trading for six-time All-Star Joe Johnson, a move that meant Brooks would be coming off the bench this season.
Brooks took the move in stride, and said his goal entering the season was to try to become a contender for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. But since suffering a freak left ankle injury while participating in the team’s morning shoot-around in Orlando on Nov. 9, Brooks has had a hard time finding a consistent spot in the Nets’ rotation — which, in turn, has left him struggling to try to find a consistent feel for the game.
“When you play six minutes and you miss a couple shots, all you think about is those shots,” Brooks said. “I haven’t had too much of an opportunity to make up for a shot I missed or a turnover I made. You go to sleep thinking about that.”
But, just as Brooks’ ankle injury led to trying to fight his way back into a consistent spot in the rotation, an injury to backup point guard C.J. Watson allowed Brooks to get a shot to make an impression on interim coach P.J. Carlesimo on Friday night in Washington.
With Watson sidelined with a sore right knee and rookie Tyshawn Taylor struggling in his place against the Wizards, Carlesimo plugged Brooks in at point guard during the second quarter, and again in the fourth. He took advantage of the opportunity, correctly picking his spots in terms of creating shots for himself or setting up his teammates.
Carlesimo gave Brooks, along with Mirza Teletovic, a chance to carry the second unit offensively Saturday against the Kings after his starters had played big minutes against the Wizards. Brooks again delivered, scoring eight points in the second quarter to help spark a run that put the game away for good.
“We do believe in him,” Carlesimo said. “We’ve been saying all along MarShon can be a really key piece to our team.“He played well.”
After the ups and downs Brooks has experienced over the past several weeks, he is hoping to build on the momentum he has gained over the past two games and translate it into a permanent spot in Carlesimo’s rotation.
“It’s definitely huge,” Brooks said of the confidence he has gained. “It’s [been] tough. I know a lot of players go through it, but it’s tough, not knowing if you’re getting in the game and then getting thrown into some pretty tough situations … it’s just tough, not playing for a while and then having to react.
“But I’m getting up to game speed, getting my wind back under me, so I feel good.”