Swingman Dillon Brooks is enjoying a career season as a scorer with Phoenix in 2025-26.
Dillon Brooks has spent most of his NBA life being the guy many notice, even when he’s not scoring. The loud defense. The chirping. The “I’m-guarding-your-best-player,-and-I’m-going-to-make-your-night-miserable” energy.
What’s different in Phoenix this season is that he’s not just the Suns’ tone-setter; he’s also quietly become one of their most reliable sources of offense. And it’s not a random hot month thing, either.
The numbers say this is the best all-around regular season of his career so far, and the context in Phoenix explains why.
1. Scoring more out of necessity
Brooks is averaging 20.5 points per game this season — a career high.
Dillon Brooks delivers a 26-point game.
That jump makes a lot more sense when considering Phoenix’s trend since the offseason. Kevin Durant is gone, Bradley Beal is out of the picture and the roster was reshaped around Devin Booker with a defense-first identity.
Brooks is basically the perfect new era Suns player and playing alongside Booker has given him opportunities as well.
The sneaky part: his scoring leap isn’t coming from some unreal shooting spike. It’s coming from role + volume. He’s taking 17.1 shots per game and 7.0 threes per game this season.
More possessions are ending with the ball in his hands, and Phoenix is comfortable living with that because he’s not just jacking. He’s attacking closeouts, running the floor, and punishing teams for loading up on Booker.
2. More trips to the line
Brooks is attempting 3.6 free throws per game, also a career high. That matters because getting to the line is usually the separator between a hot scorer and a night-to-night scorer.
So why is it happening now?
- His shot diet forces defenders to close hard. Phoenix is letting him shoot (he’s taking seven 3-pointers per game), which means defenders can’t play him as a driver.
- The Suns’ new identity creates more advantageous possessions. Phoenix has leaned into turning defense into offense. The Suns are averaging 21.5 points off turnovers, which ranks in the top three in the league. Brooks often thrives in those moments because he doesn’t hesitate.
- He’s got clearer spacing and clearer marching orders. After the Durant/Beal era ended, Phoenix didn’t just shuffle names — it changed the hierarchy. Brooks isn’t guessing where his shots come from anymore.
3. Cashing in at the line
Perhaps Brooks’ cleanest, most telling stat is this: his 86.3% from the line, another career high.
Brooks has been attacking more (he’s averaging a career best 3.6 free throw attempts per game), which has helped him get into a better overall rhythm at the line. Although he has never been a poor free-throw shooter (81.1%), Brooks overall percentage is adding extra points to his total.
4. Brooks now a feature, not just a vibe
Brooks’ defense-and-attitude approach will likely never wane. Phoenix has unlocked the best version of that archetype: the wing who can guard, talk all night and score without the offense feeling like a gamble.
A career-high 20.5 ppg, a career-high 3.6 free throw attempts per game and a career-high 86.3% on free throws isn’t an accident. It’s what happens when a player’s strengths finally line up with a team’s needs.
