Dillon Brooks picks no Americans in his Top 3 toughest opponents to guard
Ahead of this summer's Paris Olympics, Canadian basketball wing Dillon Brooks named his three toughest opponents to guard. Two of Brooks' selections are considered to be among the world's premier basketball superstars. However, he didn't name any American players despite Team USA being the prohibitive favorite entering the Olympics.
Brooks and Team Canada wrapped up their pre-Olympic showcase schedule on Sunday with a 103-93 victory over Puerto Rico in Orleans, France. Brooks led the way, tallying a game-high-tying 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and three 3-pointers, shooting 66.7%.
With the win, Canada finished its exhibition schedule 2-1, with its lone loss (86-72) coming against Team USA's star-studded roster on July 10. Nevertheless, on Tuesday, the two-way wing omitted American players from his top three most difficult players to defend list.
Instead, Brooks first chose Slovenian and Canadian superstars Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For his third choice, Brooks hesitated, seemingly pondering his decision for several seconds. He ultimately settled on another of his Canadian teammates, point guard Andrew Nembhard, who was sitting a few chairs down from him.
Dillon Brooks appeared to be joking with his third selection, as he burst into laughter upon naming Nembhard. So, it's unclear if he intentionally chose not to pick an American superstar. Nonetheless, fans will likely read into his choices.
Dillon Brooks expressed confidence in Canada defeating Team USA ahead of exhibition showdown
While Canada came up short against Team USA in their pre-Olympic showcase matchup, it seemingly wasn't due to a lack of confidence.
Ahead of the contest, Brooks highlighted his squad's eagerness to secure another victory over the Americans. Last year, Canada defeated Team USA 127-118 in overtime to secure its first-ever medal (bronze) at the FIBA World Cup. Brooks guided the way, recording a game-high 39 points.
The Americans have since added reinforcements to their Olympic roster, including superstars LeBron James and Steph Curry. Nevertheless, Brooks expressed confidence in his team's ability to present a challenge.
"I take it as [just] another game, but me being who I am, I like to make a statement," Dillon Brooks said. "So, I’ll be ready to play. Team Canada will be ready to play, and we’re gonna go balls to the wall and watch the film after and see if we got better."
Brooks added that Team USA would have to step up its defensive intensity to compete with Canada.
"They’ve gotta guard. They’ve gotta play defense. That’s my main thing," Brooks said. "Every team that has to play against us has to guard, has to scout against us. And we’re just going to play our game and make adjustments during the game."
Brooks ultimately struggled offensively against Team USA, tallying 10 points on 37.5% shooting as his squad suffered a 14-point loss. It remains to be seen if the two sides will rematch during the Olympics. If so, Brooks will likely be highly motivated for redemption.
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